Life is Change
by TrudyW
Summary: After Xander is kidnapped and held for sometime by demons before being rescued by his friends, things begin to change for the Scoobies. Rating for later chapters.  Will contain SLASH. Pairings - Spike/Xander and Jim/Blair
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The plot, such as it is, is the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Life Is Change**

As Spike strolled home through the graveyard in the small hours of the morning he mused on the preceding nights activities. He was worried about Xander, and more worried that no-one else seemed to have noticed anything wrong. The boy appeared to be wasting away before their very eyes, and none of his friends could see anything amiss! Boy, no, not a boy any more, a man, and Jesus Christ, when had that happened? Spike was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by the sight of a group of gorkhan demons ahead, three of them, circling a form huddled at the base of a gravestone.

The gorkhan demons stood about four feet tall, lizard like with blue scales on the head, hands, feet and tail, darkening to black at elbows and knees and over the rest of the body. A crest ran over the head of the group leader, from between the eyes and down to the base of the thick tail, fingers and toes were tipped with long, sharp claws, yet despite the ferocious appearance these demons were carrion eaters and dared not attack the huddled form at the base of the gravestone while it still showed some signs of life.

At first Spike felt very little interest in the small demons, as carrion eaters they posed no threat to the human residents of Sunnydale, and wouldn't even provide a decent workout for a master vampire of Spikes age and ability. Then a stray breeze brought a scent from the shape on the ground, blood, human blood, Xander's blood!

Even as the scent registered on his senses Spike was already moving, vaulting a gravestone he twisted through the air to land in a battle stance between Xander and the demons. The shocked gorkhan demons reared back at the sudden appearance of a very angry master vampire in their midst, then cowering back they slunk off through the cemetery, disappearing swiftly into the darkness.

When he was sure the demons were leaving Spike turned quickly to check on Xander. He was confused by the boys condition, although he could smell blood there was not sufficient to indicate a serious wound, and his heart rate was strong but fast. Xander was certainly conscious, but he had not moved at all since Spike had first noticed him, he was still huddled against the base of a gravestone. As Spike examined him closer he realized he was shaking and moaning as he lay there trying to cover both his eyes and his ears at the same time.

Unsure of the wisdom of touching the boy before he knew more about the situation, Spike knelt beside Xander and spoke his name in the gentle reassuring tone he had used with Dru in her madder moments. Xander flinched at the sound of the soft voice, but then seemed to relax slightly so Spike spoke again, "Xander, can you hear me pet?" Slowly Xanders shaking eased and he relaxed slightly from his huddled position, warily he uncovered his eyes and ears and peered at Spike crouching in front of him.

"Spike" the name was spoken in a voice little more than a whisper.

"Yes, it's me, do you think you can stand?" as Spike reached out to help the still slightly shaky figure to his feet.

Once on his feet Xander stood there trembling as if unsure what he should do now. Gently Spike took his elbow and started guiding him towards the crypt that Spike called home, "C'mon, there's no way you can make it to your apartment in this state," slowly the pair made their way between the gravestones back to the crypt, once inside Spike helped Xander down the steps to the lower floor. Using his lighter Spike quickly lit the candles spaced around the chamber before turning back to his guest. Xander still stood at the base of the ladder, although it looked as though it wouldn't take more than a strong breeze to knock him off his feet.

"Here" Spike carefully maneuvered the unusually docile Xander towards the bed. Sitting him on the edge of it Spike quickly removed Xander's shoes, socks and his dew dampened outer clothes before helping him into the bed in just his boxers and a T-shirt. As soon as he was settled into the large bed Xander was asleep, the heavy sleep of complete mental and physical exhaustion.

Shedding his duster Spike sprawled in his armchair facing the bed and watched Xander sleep. He thought back over the previous night. It had started off the same as always with everyone meeting at the Magic Box, things had been quiet for a while but no one was getting complaisant, that could change at the drop of a hat. Giles had kept the witches with him to research something he'd found in one of his books. Buffy, Spike and Xander went out patrolling.

They encountered a few fledges as they patrolled the streets and graveyards of downtown Sunnydale, even Xander acquitted himself well enough, staking the two fledges that managed to get past Buffy and Spike. All in all a normal night in Sunnydale, but the atmosphere between the three was somewhat strained, although none of them would outwardly acknowledge the fact. It was as they walked back into the Magic Box that everything began to go pear-shaped.

"So Xander, how's work going?" asked Buffy, trying to get past the tension she'd felt in the air all evening.

Xander stopped just inside the door and stared at her in disbelief, "Work, you want to know how work is going? Do you know what they call people who don't show up for work for three weeks? Do you? They call them UNEMPLOYED!"

"They fired you! That is so not fair, I mean you have a really good reason for that."

"Oh yes, I have an excellent reason, and I can just see myself explaining to the foreman that I was kidnapped by Xeljax demons."

"Oh!" stammered Buffy, flushing to the roots of her hair.

"Xander please, I don't think you are being quite fair about this," interjected Giles, "after all Buffy did ring your employer to explain your absence. What excuse was it you used, Buffy?"

"Well, I was torn, you see? between an out of state funeral, but I couldn't remember how many grandmothers you had buried this year," Buffy began to babble, "or a broken leg skiing, so you were stuck in a hospital at Lake Tahoe, but then..." she slowly tailed off.

"You forgot, didn't you?" the watcher sounded resigned as he took off his glasses and started to polish the lenses.

"Not so much forgot exactly as.." Buffy desperately searched her mind for some more positive spin to put on it, "yes, I forgot. I'm so sorry Xander." Unfortunately she came up with nothing.

"Xander, I'm so sorry, I should have checked to ensure this had been dealt with, is there anything I can do to help, ring your employer perhaps?" offered Giles.

"Thanks Giles, but there's no point. I spoke to them, over a week ago, it's way too late for excuses," replied a weary Xander. "I'm just gonna get off home now, OK."

"Xander, wait!" Buffy moved to stop him but a hand on her arm held her back.

"Let 'im go, give 'im some time, eh slayer" Buffy shook off Spike's hand, but before she could chase Xander out the door Giles stepped in front of her.

"Much as I hate to admit it, Spike is right, Xander needs some time to get past this. He enjoyed that job, and he was good at it, and now.." the watchers words trailed off.

"I ruined it for him, I know that, you think I don't know that, I need to know he forgives me, I just need..."

"That's the problem slayer, it's all about what you need, what about what he needs." Spike interrupted Buffy's rant harshly.

Willow chimed in quickly, before Buffy and Spike could come to blows, "Buffy, just give him time, he'll forgive you, you know he will. He just needs some time to be mad at you first. Just a little time, you know Xander, he can't stay mad for long."

"I know, it's just... you're right of course... but... will he get home alright, he's pretty steamed."

"He'll be fine, he's survived a lot of years on the hellmouth, besides, he has his car and he won't be outside more than a few seconds at either end of the trip." Giles reassured his slayer, and with that everyone drifted off, Buffy to work out in the back room, Willow and Tara to help research the latest doom laden prophesy, and Spike to assist Giles with some translation work.

Spike had become so engrossed in the intricacies of the translation that Giles had to remind him of the approaching dawn. "Spike, not that I wouldn't be happy to house you during daylight hours, but you do tend to have an unfortunate effect on the customer base." Giles voice broke in gently upon the vampires concentration. "What?" and then looking at the time, "bleedin' 'ell, I'm out of 'ere." and with a dark and menacing, and in no way pouffy, whirl of his duster the vampire was gone.

So what had happened between then and now, why wasn't Xander at home, tucked up in his own bed, instead of hogging Spikes!

Guess I'll find out soon enough when he wakes up, mused Spike as he settled himself to sleep away the day sprawled in the old armchair. The chamber was quiet then, the only sound, gentle breathing coming from the bed, as Xander slept under the guttering light of the candles, until even that light died and complete darkness descended.

"NO! Please no, not again!" Spike was pulled out of a deep sleep by the terrified screams of the boy on the bed. He vaulted to his feet, landing in a defensive stance as he scanned the room to see what had scared Xander so badly. Only when he was sure that no enemy had invaded his lair did he look to the bed. Xander was huddled against the headboard, sheets pulled up tight against himself, starring wildly around the room with unseeing eyes.

It was then that Spike realized he had been woken by Xander's reaction to a nightmare, and it looked as though the boy was still deep in the grip of whatever it was that terrorized his sleeping mind.

Swiftly Spike moved to re-light the candles that were the sole source of illumination in the underground crypt. As the darkness retreated, so did Xanders fear, his heartbeat slowing to a more normal speed as his surroundings became visible once more.

Having completed his task Spike moved towards the shivering figure on the bed, ensuring he was in full view, and making no sudden moves, in just the same way he might approach a wounded animal. As that thought occurred to him, he realized just how apt it was. The terror of the nightmare and the happenings of the previous evening seemed to have suspended all Xander's higher brain functions.

"Xander?" Spike spoke softly to the terrified young man.

Slowly Xander's eyes stopped darting around the room, the fear in them began to recede as they rested on Spike's motionless form. "Spike" his voice shook, but he seemed to draw strength from the sound nonetheless.

"Yes luv, you alright?" Spike kept his tone soft and his body language unthreatening as he asked the question.

"It was dark" stated Xander quietly.

"Yes luv, it was. Sorry about that, I dozed off and the candles burnt out"

"Oh, why am I here?" Xander asked, his tone now much calmer, sounding weary as the adrenaline rush of fear ebbed away.

"Do you remember last night at all?" Spike asked in reply. Xander's gaze turned inwards at that as he began to hunt through the memories of the previous evening.

"I fought with Buffy?"

"You certainly did"

"Then I walked out on them" Xander looked up then, some element of fear beginning to show again in his eyes, but Spike quashed that sharply.

"No one blames you for that, you'll be welcomed back with open arms" Spike's words reassuring to Xander in spite of the snark and venom that had characterized their relationship up until Xander's kidnapping over a month before. Thinking back over the days since Xander had been rescued, Spike realized just how much the boy had changed from when they first met six years before.

"OK" Xander accepted the reassurance without question. "I was driving home, but everything got too bright, too loud. I couldn't see, I couldn't think, I had to get out of the car. I think I tripped, but I don't know, it's all a blur, what's happening to me." The last was a wailing cry, a plea for understanding, that shook Spike to his very core.

"Ssshhhhh pet" Spike crooned, reaching out instinctively to reassure the frightened boy in his bed unsure how his gesture would be received. His fears where quickly allayed as Xander allowed the vampire to settle him back under the covers and as Spike whispered, "Sssshhh, sleep now, we'll sort it all out in the morning" Xander drifted back off to sleep, calmed by the gentle hand rubbing circles over his back.

As Spike watched Xander sleep he thought back over the events that had set off this whole mess, to a time a little over a month ago when the scoobies were stumped, trying to investigate several disappearances, people going missing a week after the full moon, showing up three weeks later, dead, emaciated and dehydrated with hands, knees and elbows scratched and grazed, as though they had tried to claw their way to freedom, but with no other injuries, nothing to indicate how they had died. And then Xander went missing, seven days after the full moon and the countdown began. In the seven months since the pattern had begun they had found no leads, learned nothing, and now they had 3 weeks, just 21 days to find Xander, it had to be enough, but how could it. The team went in a heart beat from determined but disheartened, to frantic, now it was one of their own in jeopardy, now it was Xander, the race was on.

Giles and the witches studied everything they could get their hands on, trying to find some clue, anything that would lead them to Xander in time, often working late into the night before falling asleep over the books for a couple of hours, only to wake and study some more. Meanwhile Buffy and Spike scoured the town, every source of information was interrogated again and again, Spike had to pull Buffy off of Willy the Snitch before she killed him after he made some very unwise comment about how she had lost her donut boy.

During the day, when Spike couldn't help out above ground he searched below the streets of Sunnydale. The wounds on the victims hands, arms and legs had led them early on to the belief that they were being held underground, but they had still been able to turn up nothing to show where, or who has holding them. So now Spike upped the search, vampires normally keep a fairly normal, if nocturnal schedule, sleeping for six or eight hours during the daylight hours, but they don't have to, if necessary a vampire can go on for a surprising length of time without sleep, and Spike was determined to push that ability to its limit to find Xander. Strange, Xander might be an annoying pest and a demon-magnet, but when it came down to it, it never occurred to Spike to do anything but go all out to find him, in time and in one piece. And so he searched, every minute not spent with Buffy shaking down the lowest of the lowlifes of Sunnydale looking for clues, was spent underground searching the sewers, caves and tunnel systems that riddled the rock beneath the town.

As they entered the eighteenth day desperation gripped the hearts and minds of all the scoobies, in three days it would be the full moon, in three days Xander would die! When finally they caught a break, at 7am Giles was pulled out of a fitful sleep by the ringing of the telephone, it was Angel, with a distraught seer yelling and sobbing in the background "What have you done with him, where's Xander!" the seers voice faded as Angel moved away leaving Fred and Wesley to quiet Cordelia. "Angel, was that Cordelia, has she had a vision, Does she know where Xander is?" Giles almost yelled the last into the telephone, his voice pulling Willow and Tara to full wakefulness. The voice on the phone was now drowned out by the clamor of all the scoobies demanding information.

"QUIET!" Giles roared out cutting through the noise like a knife, "Buffy, get cleaned up, you've been out all night" to the slayer who had come in partway through the phone conversation, catching only the end of Giles' frantic questions. "You two, get some breakfast ready, we all need to eat before we can act on any information Cordelia may have for us" to the two witches, and to Dawn "Get ready for school, the last thing we need is Social Services investigating your attendance, or lack thereof." When the women surrounding him looked mutinous Giles' voice roared out once more "NOW!" and they scurried to obey the Ripper-like tone of that single word.

Giles turned back to the telephone and in a more moderate tone asked "Angel, I'm terribly sorry, things are in rather a mess here at the moment, we're all very concerned about Xander, do I understand that Cordelia has had a vision involving him?"

"Giles, what is going on down there, yes Cordy has had a vision about Xander, she saw him held somewhere dark, cold, silent then she saw him being dragged out onto a mountain top and tied to an altar beneath the full moon, he was surrounded by demons kneeling in a circle, praying it seemed, while he screamed and writhed, fighting to get free, then he gave a final scream and his body arched up above the rock held down only by his tied hands and feet and beams of light shot from him to the waiting demons, and that was it. His body dropped back to the rock dead!, what is going on?" Angel recounted the details, his voice getting harsher as he reached the culmination of the seers vision.

"A mountain-top altar above Sunnydale, we'll find it, we'll find him, thank you Angel, thank Cordelia for me, and you'll let me know if she remembers anymore details of course.." Giles rambled on about to hang up the phone when Angels sharp tones stopped him.

"Giles wait, Wesley is here, he needs to speak to you"

"Giles" Wesley's voice came down the line as he took the received from Angel "are you still there?"

"Yes, yes I'm still here, sorry babbling as bad as the children, haven't been getting much sleep you know" Giles tailed off as he listened to what Wesley had to say.

"I've been trying to calm Cordy down, get some more details from her, from what I can tell it sounds like Xeljax demons, they appear to have returned to the ancient ways of feeding. They must be young and rogue, the elders would never allow it, they know it will only draw down the wrath of the slayer, or the watchers council, or even the local vampires who feel that they are poaching on vampiric feeding grounds." Wesley relayed all the information he had got from Cordelia, and what he could find immediately in the weighty tome he had ripped from the bookshelves in his haste to pass on as much information as possible. "They live underground and are extremely skilled at hiding their homes with glamours, you are unlikely to find Xander while they remain hidden, however above ground they are vulnerable, find that altar and get there first. Below ground they are almost invulnerable, drawing strength from the earth around them, and especially if they have been feeding on human life force, but above ground, just prior to feeding, they will be at their weakest." Wesley closed the book before speaking again "find him, rescue him and then call us and let us know exactly what has been happening, I have one extremely irate vampire and a furious seer here and they need answers, call us!"

Giles listened closely to every word, eager now that they finally had something to go on, and then spoke up as Wesley finished, "Yes, thank you Wesley, thank all of you, we'll keep you advised, thank you" and then he slowly hung up the receiver, looking up into the circle of eagerly waiting faces he told them all that he had been told.

"Garvens Point, it has to be" the group spun round in surprise, none of them had been aware of Spike as he slipped quietly into the room and heard the end of Giles' discourse.

"Garvens Point, never heard of it" but Buffy's voice lacked her usual snark when speaking to the chipped vampire, everyone had been shocked by the intensity with which Spike had approached the search for Xander, an intensity which had left him looking pale, even for a vampire, and faded as if he was wasting away before their very eyes.

"It's a place of ancient magic up in the mountains above Sunnydale, I doubt many even remember the old names now, Dru and I did a lot of research before we first came here, needed to be sure we could use the ancient powers to restore Dru didn't we. I'll take you up there tonight, we can check it out, see if we can see signs that the altar is back in use."

"Thank you Spike" Giles replied quickly determined to keep things civilized, he could see Buffy was ready to demand that Spike take her there now, despite the impossibility of Spike taking a trip up into the mountains in broad daylight.

And so it was that three days later found the scoobies camped out on Mount Sunnydale, waiting in ambush as the demons brought Xander to the surface, restraining themselves with great difficulty until Xander was well clear of the entrance to the caves before they attacked in force. The witches stood high on a rocky ledge casting a protective sphere around Xander who had fallen to his knees as the shocked Xeljax demons released him and reacted to the attack, meanwhile Buffy, Spike and Giles all attacked the demons with a ferocity renewed by 2 days solid sleep for the vampire and actual sleep in an actual bed for the humans. In no time at all the demons where history, their bodies littering the mountainside, and the triumphant scoobies scooped Xander up, and carried him off the mountain and back to the Magic Box.

As Spike sat on the bed, hand stilled now against Xanders back he heard the sound of running feet in the graveyard above his head, listening harder he recognized the footsteps, Buffy! With vampiric speed he was off the bed and up the ladder to his crypt, stepping off the ladder as the slayer burst through the doors, "Xanders gone, he's missing, he never got home last night" the slayer panted, breathless from the run and the anxiety.

"Sssshhh" Spike hushed sharply, his finger to his lips, "he's down stairs sleeping."

"Oh, thank God!" Buffy felt immediate relief, quickly followed by confusion.

"In your bed? What's going on?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter girl!" Spike exclaimed indignant, "I found him in the graveyard last night, he'd had to get out of the car, he said everything was too loud, too bright, I found him huddled against a gravestone, he must have tripped and hit his head. He's fine" he interjected quickly grapping Buffy's arm as she moved towards the trapdoor, "he's sleeping, leave him be. I'll bring him to the Magic Box tonight for a research party, I get the feeling this wasn't the first time he's had problems since we got him back."

"You're sure he's alright" Buffy asked, concern for her friend evident in her clear blue eyes.

"He's fine, just needs some rest, I'll look out for him. Look, do us a favour, I've no human food in the place, get 'im something, he's bound to be hungry when he wakes up"

"Sure, no problem, you want me to bring it down to you?"

"No, best leave it up here, I'll come get it, I don't want him disturbed, I don't think he's been sleeping well"

"OK" and with that Buffy was gone, only realizing after she had left that she had not objected once to Spike using her as an errand girl. Still, having seen the concern for Xander shown by Spike now, and in the search for him when he was missing, she decided to let him get away with it. Just this once though, mustn't let him make a habit of it. So she set off to find Xander food, Twinkies, donuts, soda, and to let their friends know, research party tonight, the Magic Box, don't be late!


	2. Chapter 2

That Evening - The Magic Box

As Spike pushed open the door of the Magic Box and ushered a subdued Xander inside, the assembled scoobies rushed forward eager to assure themselves that Xander was alright. Surprised by the sudden noise, and overwhelmed by the different scents of the various soaps, shampoos and other products used by the girls, Xander recoiled and Spike stepped forward, pushing the frightened boy behind him and fighting the urge to vamp out as his protective instincts rushed to the fore.

"Xander?" Willow questioned, shocked at her best friends reaction.

"Sorry Red" Spike spoke, "he's a little jumpy, don't crowd the whelp, OK" Spike led Xander over to the table and settled him into a seat, the others falling back and clearing a path as the two crossed the room.

"Xander, Spike" Giles spoke up, quickly greeting the two men, and cutting Buffy off before she could launch a barrage of questions at them. "Is everything alright?" he asked, concerned at the lost expression in Xander's eyes, and confused by the obvious protectiveness of the vampire, he had never thought Xander and Spike got on that well.

"It's OK watcher, Xander's got the jitters is all" Spike explained from his place at Xander's shoulder. "Found him in the graveyard this morning, on my way home, he was kinda out of it, surrounded by Gorkhan demons, three of them, nasty, dirty buggers! Chased them away easy enough and took him back to my crypt, wasn't time by then to get him to his apartment before sunrise."

"What do you mean, 'out of it' was he drunk or something, doesn't sound like Xander to me" Buffy spoke up.

"No, nothing like that, look I think it's better if he tells you hisself OK, just go easy on 'im, 'e's 'ad a rough night" Spike pulled up a chair behind Xander and sank down onto it.

At first Xander appeared reluctant to speak, but he seemed to draw strength from the silent presence at his shoulder and began to recite the events of the previous evening after he had left the Magic Box. It didn't take long to recount the details that Xander could recall and then Spike took up the story once more.

"Like I said 'e was really out of it when I found 'im, don't know 'ow else to explain it, 'e seemed to come back to 'imself a little when I spoke to 'im. Took 'im back to me crypt where 'e slept most of the day, woke up several times with nightmares though, tells me 'e's been 'aving those several times a night since we got 'im back." Spike slumped back in his chair once he had finished speaking, and then looked up at Giles to ask, "So the million dollar question is, what's making 'is senses go crazy, and is it going to get better, or worse!"

All eyes now turned to Giles, as always the children, and Giles would always think of them as children, looked to him for guidance and reassurance. In a bid for more time Giles removed his glasses and began carefully cleaning the lenses. A totally transparent stall tactic, and one he knew the scoobies would see straight through, but by now a thoroughly ingrained habit, and one he was unlikely to break anytime soon. "Well, I've heard of similar symptoms in cases of recreational drug usage, I assume..." his voice trailed off at the instant outcry his words caused.

"Xander would never do anything like that!"

"No, Xander wouldn't"

"I didn't, I wouldn't"

"No, nothing like that, would have smelt it on him, he's clean" Spikes voice overrode the clamoring voices of the younger scoobies.

"No, I assumed as much, how long has this been going on Xander, was this the first attack?"

"It's happened a few times, not usually this bad, normally if I just sit quietly for a few minutes and just concentrate on breathing slowly and staying calm it will pass, last night was really bad, it drove me from the car, I had to get away from the noise, the light. I couldn't think straight or I'd have just switched off the engine and covered my ears I guess."

"And when did this first happen?" Giles gently prompted the unusually fragile boy in front of him.

"When they had me" Xander's response was so quiet Giles barely heard it, Spike's hand reached out to briefly grip Xander's shoulder in support.

"The Xeljax?" Giles spoke softly, asking for confirmation, Xander merely nodded slowly his gaze unfocused as he thought back to his time held captive by the demons. Then slowly he began to speak, his voice very quiet but clearly audible in the silent room as his audience hung upon his every word.

"The cave where they kept me was very cold, and absolutely black, no light got in, ever. I was totally alone, they never came into the cave unless I was asleep. For a while I would try to stay awake, hoping I could see them, talk to them, make them understand, I didn't want to die. It was no good, eventually I would doze off and when I woke up the food was there and they had gone." Xander paused for a moment, gathering his strength and fighting off the terror he felt at reliving those awful days. "I even tried faking sleep but they always knew, I don't know how."

"At first I heard nothing, total silence, but slowly after the first week or so I began to hear voices, Buffy and Spike arguing as they searched tunnel systems. Sometimes Spike muttering to himself as he searched alone. I thought I was going crazy, but then as I really listened to the things the voices were saying, they didn't fit with the way I saw the world. They were saying words that I didn't think I would ever put into their mouths if it was my imagination. They became very reassuring, they were probably the only thing that kept me from going insane down there."

As Xander finished speaking, no-one moved for several moments, all lost in their own memories of those dreadful days as they searched fruitlessly for their missing friend. Suddenly Giles cleared his throat, drawing all eyes to himself as he began to speak. "So it appears this thing, whatever it is was triggered by solitude and sensory deprivation. Thank you Xander, that gives us a starting place. I have some books that may be relevant, Willow, if you would like to start up that infernal machine and see if you can find anything on the internet."

Slowly everyone moved off to their assigned tasks, but as they did so each one managed to pass by Xander's seated form and brush a hand gently across a shoulder or down an arm, silent symbols of solidarity and promises to find an explanation, and some way to help their friend.

Initially Xander sat motionless and silent in the midst of his friends as they worked around him. Spike still sat equally silent at his shoulder. Eventually Spike's enhanced vampire senses detected an infinitesimal lessening of tension within Xander's body, and he watched as the tension thrumming through the boy's form slowly leeched away. When Xander seemed calm again Spike leaned in towards him and quietly asked "OK?" and Xander looked back over his shoulder towards the vampire and nodded. Spike nodded towards the door, "want to get some fresh air?" he asked quietly, again Xander nodded and the two men stood up and moved towards the door. Spike calling back over his shoulder, "just popping out for some fresh air" as they left.

As they walked down the street Xander felt a sense of calm and peace settle over him. In the soft glow of the street lamps and the quiet of Sunnydale after dark, he felt at home. They slowly approached a lighted store and found themselves in front of the coffee shop. Without words they exchanged a glance and went inside to fetch sustenance for the troops before heading back to the Magic Box.

Spike pushed open the door allowing Xander to precede him into the store and the researchers all looked up from their efforts as the room was filled with the comforting aroma of caffeinated beverages. The normality of the act of handing out hot drinks and snack foods helped to ground Xander even more, and once that task was complete he helped himself to a weighty tome from the pile in the centre of the table and joined the research party.

Several hours passed slowly marred only by the rustle of turning pages or the quiet footsteps as a someone crossed the room to return one book and take away another. Until suddenly Giles snapped shut the volume he had been reading and with an oath quickly crossed the room to a set of shelves labeled Fiction? This was where he kept those books that even to a seasoned watcher seemed more fantasy than fact. After briefly searching through the shelves he pulled out a slim volume and dusted it off before laying it reverently down on the table."

"You've found something" Buffy stated and at Giles' reply, "Yes, I think I have" everyone moved to crowd around the table and look at the book lying there. It was bound in brown leather with an illustration that appeared to represent a Native American Tribesman on the cover and the word Sentinel across the top with the name Sir Richard Burton in smaller lettering at the bottom.

"Sir Richard Burton? Wasn't he some British actor guy, what's this even doing here Giles?" Buffy spoke the words that all the scoobies were thinking.

"Not that Sir Richard Burton. This gentleman was an eighteenth century explorer. He spent a great deal of his life in Peru living amongst the natives. He was a widely respected watcher, until he produced this book. General consensus was that he had gone native, his work lost all credibility after that."

"And his work, it relates to me somehow?" Xander asked.

"Yes it does, he wrote of men, he called them Sentinels, who lived on the outskirts of the tribe and protected the other members of the tribe. They had heightened senses to make them better protectors. What you are experiencing Xander, could be Sentinel abilities emerging."

"So you're saying I could be one of these Sentinel guys? Cool."

"Hey guys..." Willow called out from from where she sat hunched over her laptop. "I think I've got something. I used the information Giles found for a new search, there was this grad student a few years back. He submitted his dissertation on humans with enhanced senses, he called them Sentinels. He withdrew it a few days later, destroyed his career before it even got started. He lived up in Cascade, a little north of Washington but he could be anywhere by now."

"Very well" Giles interrupted Willow mid flow, "Willow, can you and Tara follow up on that angle. I will read up on Sir Richard Burton's work and we will get together in the morning, if that's alright with everyone?"

As everyone began moving around, clearing up and gathering their belongings Giles moved over to Xander "I'm not sure you should be on your own at the moment, I have a spare room which you are very welcome to use if you wish" he offered in a quiet voice.

At these words Spike had to fight to suppress his immediate instinct to rush to Xander's side. Forcing the demon into submission he continued tidying the books piled haphazardly on the table, using his actions to cover the fact that he was listening intently to the conversation going on a few feet away from him. Determined to allow Xander to make his own decision Spike used his task to mask his movements as he shifted around the table so he could covertly watch Xander and Giles as they spoke. As soon as he looked up and met Xander's eyes he knew that he should never have doubted and he moved to stand at his side Xander told Giles "Thanks for the offer G-Man but I'd rather be at my own place, Spike will stay over and keep an eye on me."

"Well alright, if you're sure, the offer's there if you need it."

"Thanks" Xander repeated and turned to leave, Spike at his side calling back to Giles "See ya Watcher" as they left.

The walk home was quiet, each of them lost in their own thoughts, but a percentage of each man's mind still alert to their surroundings.

Spike heard it first, the sound of a struggle coming from the alleyway to their left, but even as he turned to warn Xander he could see that Xander heard it too. Pulling out stakes they began to move towards the mouth of the alley, Xander hugging the left hand wall, Spike crossing with Vampire speed to the right hand wall. As they moved slowly forward, each hiding as much as possible within the shadows, they came upon the source of the noises they had heard.

A group of five vampires had a young woman cornered, her body pressed back into the angle between a large dumpster and the right hand alley wall.

As they each took in the situation it was obvious that Xander had the better position strategically. All the vampires had their backs to him, whereas at least two of them, possibly three would catch sight of Spike in their peripheral vision if he got much closer.

Looking across the filthy alleyway Xander caught Spike's eye and shrugged eloquently. This was the hand they had been dealt, these were the cards they would have to play.

Xander continued to edge forward, getting as close to the farthest two vampires as he could. Finally Xander stopped, level with the furthest vampire and quickly sized up his opposition. The cornered young woman was keeping the vampires at bay, but more because they were amused by her attempts to defend herself than from any fear on their part.

Xander knew they had to move quickly, the vampires were tiring of the game and would attack soon. Picking the spot he would have to hit to drive his stake through the first vampire's heart with his first blow he gathered himself, ready to strike. Knowing that Spike would be watching his every move, ready to follow his lead he made no attempt to communicate his plans. Doing nothing to risk alerting their opponents he suddenly launched himself forward, his stake sliding smoothly between the ribs and into the unbeating heart of his target. Even as the dust of his first kill was settling around Xander and he turned to face his second foe, another cloud of dust burst out on the far end of the line as Spike made his own kill.

Warily Xander faced the next vampire in line, there were only three left, but now they were fully aware of Xander and Spike's presence. Hefting his weapon, and trusting Spike to deal with the other two, Xander weighed up his new opponent. This guy was small, kind of weaselly looking, if he'd been human Xander would have had no doubt he could take him. However, this was a vampire, a completely different kettle of fish as Giles might say. The thought made Xander laugh, just a brief bark of laughter but enough to disconcert weasel guy. Xander lashed out, stake aimed squarely for weasels heart and was quickly enveloped in the resulting dust cloud.

Looking around for his next opponent Xander only saw Spike calmly watching him through twin dust clouds falling gently to earth. The curiosity Xander felt at the peculiar look in Spike's eyes was suddenly swamped by the memory of the young woman they were there to save. Looking around quickly Xander was relieved to see she was still there cowering beside the dumpster, terrified but still very much alive. Swiftly he moved to her side, speaking to her gently as he put his arm around her shoulders and helped her to her feet. "They've gone, you're safe now" he slowly walked her towards the mouth of the alleyway, soothing her fears as they went.

Keeping back Spike followed them out of the alley, watching the way Xander calmed the victim's shaken nerves. Xander did this so easily, with his handsome face and friendly personality people naturally trusted him. As they stepped out onto the main street Xander was asking the woman where she lived.

"Just down the street" she replied pointing to an apartment building a little further on.

"We'll walk you home" Xander said, quickly adding "It's on our way" over her protests.

Sensing her continued reluctance Spike moved up on her other side, and holding her gently by the elbow urged her towards her apartment block. Several minutes later they saw the young woman safely in through the doors and continued on their way to Xander's place.

They walked in companionable silence for several minutes before Xander asked "What was that about back there?"

Spike looked confused as he replied "Good guys, killing the bad guys, rescuing the damsel in distress, you know same old same old."

"No not that" Xander laughed slapping Spike across the chest with the back of his hand as they walked. "After the fight, you were staring at me."

"Was not"

"Was"

"Was not"

"Was"

"I was just watching you fight,when did you get so good?"

"I'm not that good, and stop trying to change the subject, there was definite starage going on back there."

"Don't sell yourself short. I just saw you take out two vampires in under thirty seconds. They didn't lay a hand on you and you're not even breathing hard."

"What, you must be kidding, it took longer than that" Looking up Xander just saw Spike shaking his head.

"20 seconds, 25 max from when you made your first move until the second schmuck dusted. I've noticed it over the last couple of weeks, you've seemed more in control, except when you're completely out of control of course."

"Hey!" Xander laughed, it felt good to be able to relax with a friend. I wonder when that happened Xander mused, when did I start to think of Spike as a friend.

"Penny for 'em" Xander was pulled from his thoughts as Spike spoke.

"Sorry,was miles away, guess they must have been pretty young fledges if what you're saying is true."

"No," Spike contradicted him, "I mean don't get me wrong, they weren't masters by any stretch of the imagination, but not fledges, probably turned in the last 40 to 50 years."

"What! How can you possibly know that?"

"120 odd years, you pick stuff up if you want to stay alive. They were strong, confident, sure of themselves, not the mindless aggression you'd expect from fledges, plus five of them together, you don't see fledges co-operating like that."

The rest of the walk to Xander's apartment was accomplished in silence as Xander thought over Spike's words.

As Xander let them in he headed for the kitchen. "Come in Spike, you hungry?"

"Yeah, I could eat somethin', what'ya got?"

"Mmmmm" Xander hummed as he rumaged through his refrigerator, "Ah-ha" he emerged triumphant clutching a plastic container of blood. "Pig I think." He called out as he carefully poured out a mug full of the thick, viscous fluid before sprinkling a handful of mini marshmallows on top and putting it into the microwave to heat through.

Whilst waiting for the blood to warm he set about making a pot of coffee for himself, loading everything on a tray when it was ready with a packet of biscuits and a handful of twinkies to nibble on.

"Mind your feet" he called out as he carried the laden tray into the room, depositing it on the coffee table in the spot recently vacated by Spike's Doc Martins.

"Quite the little mother aren't we?" gibed Spike as he helped himself to the mug of blood from the tray and grabbed a couple of biscuits to dunk for good measure.

"Oy!" Xander objected, elbowing Spike in the ribs as he reached for his coffee and a twinkie.

There was no sound in the room for several minutes except for the sound of crinkling wrappers and munching biscuits, but soon Xander broke the silence. "So, do you really think my fighting has improved? Maybe it's some kind of Sentinel super powers coming through. That'd be much more helpful for a protector than the insane sensory spikes which is all it seems to have given me so far."

Spike thought about it for a few moments before answering, Xander was grateful to see the other man giving his question due consideration and not just laughing off the thought immediately. Finally Spike spoke slowly, almost as if he was thinking out loud. "Maybe, I don't think it's that you're any faster or stronger, more that you're more focused, and your reactions are faster. I think maybe you're hearing subtle clues from your opponents that give you a split second of advance warning before they move. Just enough to give you a heads up so you can react quicker." Xander looked thoughtful as he pondered the implications of what Spike had suggested. "I think your confidence is growing as well, I'm thinking that maybe it's a combination of enhanced sight and hearing that enables you to focus better on where on your opponents body you want to strike. I don't know, it could be subconscious, as your abilities grow and you come to rely on them and understand what you can do, without even really knowing that it's happening." Suddenly Spike seemed to realise he had been musing out loud and his jaw shut with an almost audible snap. "I dunno, you'll have to see what the brains come up with tomorrow." It was only now, with the return of Spike's cockney street punk accent that Xander realised that it had been missing while Spike had been speaking his thoughts.

"No, I think you could be on to something there, but why would I only have that kind of control while I'm fighting. I'll admit I'm very grateful that I haven't freaked out during a fight yet, but I was beginning to think it was only a matter of time."

Spike looked angry now, "you mean you knew there was a chance of you 'freaking out' during a fight, but you kept fighting anyway. Didn't you even think how dangerous that was! What did you think would happen if you collapsed, clutching your head and screaming in the middle of a battle?" Spike was standing now, tension in every line of his body, and Xander stood to face him.

"What did I think would happen? Exactly the same as happens every time I'm thrown across a room, or blasted into a wall, nothing! I've never asked for any special consideration in battle, and I've certainly never received it. I think they've gotten so used to seeing me thrown around by the latest nasty to hit Sunnydale that they barely even notice it anymore. But I've never put my friends in danger, I've never felt the slightest hint of trouble while I was fighting, in fact that's when I feel most alive, most in control. Maybe you've just pinpointed why that is, and I'm grateful, but don't accuse me of putting my friends in danger, I've never done that, and I never will." As his anger subsided, Xander slowly sat back down on the couch, his head sinking into his hands. "I'd never put them in danger, never put you in danger. You're the only friends I've got, I couldn't risk that."

"Fuck putting your friends in danger, what would have happened to you!"

On hearing Spike's words Xander looked up a confused look in his eyes, as if he couldn't quite understand what he was hearing. "Why would you care if something happened to me, we've never really gotten along have we?"

Spike sank down next to Xander, reaching out to lay one hand on his friends shoulder. "Of course I care, what would happen to me if you weren't around. I'd be left to drown in a sea of estrogen, that's what! At least until Buffy staked me in a PMS inspired hissy fit over a broken nail or a bad hair day."

Xander gave a soft chuckle, "Yeah, at least I'm good for one thing. But you'd still have Giles for some masculine support."

"Uggh! No thanks" and Spike gave an artistic shudder at the thought.

Xander elbowed him in the ribs, laughing now. "That is not what I meant and you know it!"

As the laughter died down they sat quietly on the couch, good humour restored. Spike went over the conversation they'd just had in his head. He and Xander had been getting on better over the last few weeks and he found that he enjoyed the time they spent together. He decided he really needed to address Xander's self-esteem issues and turned to speak but only smiled as he saw the other man slumped bonelessly on the couch practically asleep. It was obvious that the adrenaline high from the fight earlier that evening had worn off now, not even the coffee he'd drunk a short while before would keep him awake much longer. "Come on." Spike stood pulling the barely functioning Xander to his feet, "lets get you off to bed. Get a few hours sleep before we all convene back at the Watchers." Slowly Spike walked him into the bedroom, pulling back the covers and pushing him down to sit on the edge of the bed before pulling off his shoes and pushing the sleeping man to lay down covering him with the bedspread and then going back to the couch to sleep, checking the black out curtains were all closed on the way before falling into a deep sleep of his own for what remained of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Not again, Spike thought blearily as he was dragged from sleep for the third time in as many hours by the sound of Xander in the other room suffering through another nightmare. As he pulled himself up from the couch and made his way into the bedroom he paused to take a deep and unneeded breath. There was no point being angry with the whelp, it wasn't his fault that vampire hearing wouldn't let Spike sleep though his nightmares. Feeling calmer he walked into the bedroom and sat gently on the edge of the bed, taking in the sight of his friend thrashing his head from side to side as he sought to escape the horrors inside his mind.

"Hey, Xander" he called out softly, trying to break through the nightmare holding Xander in it's grip. "Xander, wake up now, it's only a dream, you're safe now, remember" As the young man on the bed calmed and lay still, Spike reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder. "You OK?" he asked.

"Not again!" Xander spoke, echoing Spikes earlier thoughts. "I'm so sorry, maybe you should go back to your crypt, it's not too late for you to get some sleep tonight" Spikes hand fell away as Xander pushed himself up to sit leaning against the headboard, his hands scrubbing through his hair as if trying to clear the images out of his brain.

"Nah, hate to say it, but that's one thing I agree with the Watcher about. You shouldn't be alone, not until we know you've got your senses under control." Spike looked thoughtful, "Tell me what these nightmares are about" he asked.

Xander hung his head for a moment before running both hands through his hair as he pushed it back out of his eyes. "It's always dark, completely dark, so I can't see anything, and it starts out silent. I'm trapped somewhere, it's completely black and absolutely silent and I'm trying to get away but there's nowhere to go." Xander stopped talking as he sat lost in the memory of the dream.

"You said it starts out silent?" Spike gently nudged Xander to continue.

"Yeah, then I start to hear voices, sometimes I can hear the words, sometimes it's just the sound of voices too quiet to make out what they're saying." Spike thought Xander was going to stop again, he didn't want to have to push too hard, Xander needed to get this out in his own time. But then Xander started talking again. "I can hear the voices, they're looking for me, but no matter how much I yell they can't hear me, even when it sounds like they're just on the other side of the wall, they never hear me, and I'm just yelling and screaming, and pounding my hands on the wall. But the voices just carry on and then begin to fade away, I know they're leaving but there's nothing I can do."

"So, your dreams are recreating the time you spent captive. Think about this, every night when you go to bed your alone, you close the windows to keep the noise down, close the curtains and switch off the light. You're duplicating the conditions from when they held you."

Xander looked up in surprise, "You think thats why I get the nightmares? because the situation feels so similar?"

"I dunno, could be part of it, shall we try changing the conditions, try to keep the nightmares at bay?"

"Sure, what do you want to do? Get me a nightlight like a 5 year old?" Spike hated the derogatory tone in Xander's voice but now was not the time to address those concerns, that would come later.

"How about we just leave the hall light on, and the door open, we could open the window to let in the street sounds." Spike hesitated before making his final suggestion, sure it would be shot down in flames. "You were alone when they held you captive, we could change that to, if you want?"

Xander was as surprised by the tentative manner in which the words were offered, as much as by the words themselves. "You mean you'd stay here? I guess the bed's big enough for two, as long as you don't snore." The light-hearted comment broke the tension and Spike smirked.

"Don't breath do I, can't snore if you don't breathe."

Xander grunted in response, and moved over to lie on the far side of the bed, snuggling down into the duvet as he prepared to try again to sleep.

"I'll just get the windows and the light then shall I?" Spike snarked, but the look in his eyes as he wondered at the trust in him exhibited by the sleeping boy in the bed belied the sharpness of his tone. Realising he'd get no response he sorted out the windows and the light, stripped to his boxers, crawled into the other side of the bed and prepared to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The pounding on the door resounded through the apartment waking Spike with a jerk. Sitting up quickly Spike realised he had gravitated towards Xander's warm body during the night, and he thanked his lucky stars that the pounding had not yet woken Xander and he had time to unwind himself from his bedmate without having to admit that vampires liked to snuggle.

Quickly extricating himself from the bed Spike grabbed up his jeans and pulled them on as he headed for the door to see who was trying to break it down at this hour of the ... afternoon. He shook his head as he caught sight of the clock on the way through the living room, surprised at how late they'd slept. Opening the door he stood back to allow Buffy, Willow, Tara , Dawn and Giles to enter. As they filed in he realised what had been bugging him and he leaned forward to sniff Giles as he past.

"What are you doing?" Giles sounded shocked as he flinched back from Spike. Spike pulled back from the hostile stares suddenly directed his way.

"Hey! No offence mate, just realised you all smell different."

The others looked self-conscious as Willow spoke up, "I've been reading Blair's paper. He talks about the troubles his sentinel had with his sense of smell, just from soaps, shampoos, aftershave, that kind of thing."

Spike was confused by the look on Willow's face, until he realised she was braced, ready to respond to a sarcastic comment from him. But he didn't feel like making any sarcastic rejoinder, he was touched that they would go to such efforts on Xander's behalf. "Thanks, Xander will appreciate the thought." Then leaving the visitors with stunned looks on their faces, he gestured over his shoulder to the bedroom, "I'll go see if he's awake, make yourselves comfortable."

Xander had opened his eyes and grinned as soon as Spike left the room. Who knew he'd be learning so many vampire secrets, vampires like to snuggle, in fact it bore a close resemblance to sleeping with an octopus. Still, if Spike wanted to maintain the big bad persona then Xander wasn't going to spoil his fun. Getting up, he swiftly twitched the duvet back into place and stripped off his t-shirt before searching through his closet for a clean replacement. And that was how Spike found him when he stepped back into the room, back to the door, bending over as he searched the back of the closet. The appreciative look that swept over Spike's face would have got him staked in an instant had Buffy been there to see it. Luckily she wasn't, especially when Xander straightened up and turned with a triumphant grin as he pulled out what was quite possibly the last clean shirt in the apartment. Spike merely returned the grin as his eyes drank in the sight of Xander, naked to the waist. It was a real pity Xander had lost the construction job. The muscles he'd built up from the manual labour were normally hidden under the baggy clothes he favoured, but now they were clear to see, and Spike was making the most of Xander's distraction as he hurried to make himself presentable for his friends.

"Hi Guys," Xander called out as he saw all his friends gathered in the living room. "What are you all doing here so early?"

"Early Xander?" said Buffy with a questioning tone as she moved to one side so he could see the clock.

Xander gave a classic double take as he saw the time. "Three o'clock, really? Wow"

"I must say, you look refreshed. Can I assume that means no nightmares?" Giles asked.

"No, still some nightmares early on, but Spike figured some things out, kept them away for most of the night." Nobody missed the grateful look Xander threw Spikes way.

"Ah, excellent. Anything we should know about in respect of our Sentinel research?"

"It was no big deal." Spike seemed uncomfortable at being the focus of so much attention. "Just left a light on and the windows open, let in some street sound, make it feel less like when the Xeljax had 'im."

"Cool!" Dawns voice broke the uncomfortable silence at the reminder and she quickly crossed the room to give Spike a hug. "Thanks Spike." She murmured quietly in his ear.

"OK then, so what brings you here this fine afternoon." Xanders voice sounded as cheerful as ever, but to those in the room, those who knew him best of all, it was clearly forced. They each resolved to do everything in their individual power to help Xander get through this. "It looks like poor Willow is going to burst if she doesn't get to speak her piece soon." He smiled at his oldest friend and the floodgates opened.

"I've been reading the book Giles found, and Blair's paper. Sentinels have heightened senses to protect the tribe from danger. Not only from attack, but they can help track prey when hunting, they can predict storms and all sorts of useful things. They live on the outskirts of the tribe with one person to help them, keep them focused, help them control their senses, keep them from zoning. That person was called a guide. I'm going to be your guide!" Willow finished with a triumphant grin.

"Wait! What! Hang on a minute, I thought you were going to try to locate this Blair character. Isn't he the expert on sentinels?" Spike was the first to voice what everyone was thinking.

Willow's triumphant look faded as she took in the surprise on everyone's faces. "Well yes, and I did find him, he's still living in Cascade."

"That's good work Willow. So we'll call him and see if he can help us to help Xander." said Giles.

"But I already tried calling him."

"When?" Tara's soft voice quieted the others in the room and Willow turned to the other half of her soul tucking a stray wisp of hair back behind her lovers ear as she said "While you were in the shower honey. I finally realised he'd never left Cascade and called Jim Ellison's number. He's not going to help us. But that's OK!" her voice regained it's cheerful upbeat tone. It was forced, she knew it was forced, and what's more she knew her friends knew it was forced. But dammit she was not going to be downbeat about this, it could work and by Hecate she was going to make it work. Positive thoughts only allowed, and if she needed to pull out the resolve face then so be it. "It's OK, it really is. I've got Blair's paper and it's incredibly detailed and thorough, I mean he could have defended it with half the work, a quarter even, it's like he just didn't know when to stop" and the irony of that statement coming from Willow of all people struck several of those around the room, but they didn't interrupt. "I've got the Burton book, and with all that we know now I'm sure we'll be able to find more on the internet. I can do this! Who else would it be, we've been best friends since kindergarten. Plus the guide is generally a shaman, someone in touch with the spirit world. I'm a wiccan, I can do this. He's my best friend, he needs a guide and I'm gonna be that guide."

It was Buffy's turn to speak up now, "I don't understand, why won't he help. He must know how this feels, how out of control Xander's senses are. This Ellison guy, he's the sentinel, right? They must have been through this themselves."

"I don't know, I asked if I could speak to Blair, I told him that I'd read his dissertation and that a friend of mine was having weird sensory spikes, he just said to get him in a drug rehab program and stop bugging Blair. He said, haven't you heard, the whole thing was a fake. He, well he got quite rude." Just the memory of the brief conversation had Willow blushing as red as her hair.

"Very well, thank you Willow." Giles was polishing his glasses again. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. Xander if you're happy to give it a try we'll see if you can get some control of your senses with Willows assistance."

Xander dragged himself back from the brink of the void, only just realising how he'd almost allowed himself to become lost in the sound of the Englishman's voice. "Sure, just, Willow, will you have time for this, you have college and Tara, you help take care of Dawn and help out at the Magic Box, not to mention research and patrol. Your life is getting pretty busy and I get the impression that this guiding thing is a pretty big commitment."

"It's fine Xander. It'll all work out, you'll see." Willow grabbed a sheaf of papers from her backpack and passed them to Xander. "I've printed out the paper, it's all in there. You have a read of that tonight, you'll be at the Magic Box tomorrow won't you? We'll meet there and talk about it."

"OK, I was planning on coming over to work on the shelves you wanted in the storage room, that still alright with you G-man."

"Thank you, that's fine, I appreciate the help. I'll pay you for the work of course."

"Don't be ridiculous, I enjoy doing it, and anyway I need to keep my hand in." Xander moved across the apartment to open the door for his friends to leave. "Now if you'll excuse me, it looks like I've got a mountain of reading to do. I assume I'm excused from patrol tonight." A wry grin crossed his face. "Who knew this sentinel gig came with homework."


	4. Chapter 4

Xander closed the door behind his friends and leaned his back against it. He was surprised to see Spike lacing his boots, preparing to leave.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Well, you obviously won't be needing me around, not now you've got your very own guide. Besides, I've got things to do, places to be, can't be hanging around here all day waiting for you to have another episode can I?"

"Are you kidding me? We both know I've already found my guide, and it's not Willow, but have you ever tried arguing with that girl, I mean, she was this far from using the Resolve face." Xander held up his finger and thumb, so close they were practically touching. "That's a frightening face, I was not going to risk the Resolve face."

"So, what are you going to do, you can't keep stringing her along. She's going to try hard to make this work. She's feeling very guilty at the moment, and you're the focus of that guilt."

"I know. I figure I'll just go along with it for a few days. I need to read this anyway." Xander waved the sheaf of papers in his hand for emphasis. "You seem to be doing a good job of working this sentinel stuff out. I think you should read this too. We give Willow a little time to cool off and then we take it from there, try to sort everything out. If we can get Giles on side that'll make things a lot easier."

"OK, but she's not going to give up without a fight, and Buffy's got a very short fuse these days, if you try to tell them I'm your guide then we'll see just how badly sentinel enhanced noses react to sudden dust clouds."

"She's not going to stake you." Xander tried to sound convincing, it would have been easier if he'd been convinced himself.

A non-committal grunt was the only response from Spike as he stood and grabbed his duster.

"You're still leaving?" Xander was confused, hadn't they just covered this.

"I won't be gone long. I've just got a few errands to run, need to pick up some more blood for a start, if I'm going to be staying here a while."

"Of course, right, well I'll just slob out on the couch and make a start on my reading assignment. I'm sure there'll be a pop quiz on it tomorrow." Suiting actions to the words Xander threw himself down on the sofa and settled down to start reading Blair's dissertation.

As Xander settled in for an afternoon of reading he tried hard to ignore the nervousness he felt at being alone. His senses had behaved themselves for the last couple of days, but he was concerned that with Spike gone they might just start to play up again. With a determined shake of his head he pushed all concerns to the back of his mind and started reading.

Darkness had fallen by the time Spike returned to the apartment so he did not have to return the same way he had left, via the sewers. As he entered the building from the street he started to feel a strange sense of uneasiness, so much so that when the building lift did not arrive immediately he went straight for the stairs and ran up to Xander's floor. If he still needed to breathe he'd have been out of breath by the time he arrived but as it was he hadn't even broken a sweat as he pushed the door open and stepped cautiously into the apartment.

The light was off as he used his vampire sight to look around the room, trying to see if there was anything to account for the feeling of anxiety. He realised as he looked around that there was no sign of Xander. He could see the papers strewn across the couch where Xander had been reading when he left. After checking around carefully and sniffing the air he decided that no-one else had been there since he went out, so there was only one question in his mind. Where was Xander?

Standing in the centre of the room he concentrated on listening for any sign of the missing man. Slowly the sounds of harsh breathing crystallised and he moved slowly following the sound to the bedroom, switching on the light as he entered the room he looked around but still couldn't see anything. Listening carefully he moved over to the closet and opened the door, careful not to spook his sentinel. Inside he found Xander huddled at the bottom of the closet holding tight to an old black T-shirt.

Crouching down he spoke softly, "Xander, are you alright?" Keeping his voice gentle he used the same tone he'd used on the morning of the previous day to coax a traumatised Xander out of the graveyard and back to his crypt. "Come on out, how are you feeling?" Still trembling and holding on to the t-shirt for grim death Xander allowed Spike to help him out of the closet and over to the bed. Unsure what had spooked his sentinel so badly Spike gingerly pushed the younger man down onto the bed, only to find himself following rather quicker than he might have intended when Xander grabbed on to his arm and held on tightly, as if his life depended on it. A few moments later Spike had managed to rearrange them so that he was lying propped up against the headboard and Xander was curled in to his side with his head resting on Spike's shoulder. Patient now that the guide in him knew that his sentinel was safe, Spike rubbed soothing circles on Xander's back and waited for him to calm down sufficiently for them to talk.

Slowly the tremors which wracked Xander's body subsided and he relaxed into Spike's embrace.

"Okay pet?" Spike asked "Ready to tell me what happened here?"

Xander nodded into Spike's shoulder without raising his head. He took a few moments to compose himself before starting to speak. "It was fine at first, I was reading the stuff Willow left for me, but after a while I noticed a beam of light coming in through a chink in the curtains. I could see the dust specks dancing in the light, it was beautiful." Xander's voice, already soft, turned dreamy and faded away as he remembered watching the microscopic particles dancing in the narrow beam of light.

Spike waited for the young man in his arms to continue but soon realised he was lost in the memory. He gently stroked his hand down the side of Xander's face, instinctively using touch to distract from the visions swimming before his sentinel's eyes. "Xander, stay with me pet. What happened next? Did you zone out?"

"No" Xander had to almost visibly drag himself back as if from the edge of the abyss. "I didn't zone but I thought I was getting close to it so I tried to pull myself back. But my vision spiked and I was practically blinded by the sudden light." Spike continued to rub reassuring circles on Xander's back as the younger man paused in his recital of the events of the afternoon.

Just as he was wondering if he'd need to gently prod Xander to carry on talking the younger man spoke again. "I tried to concentrate on hearing instead, to counter-act the vision spike with another sense, like it said in the dissertation, but that just made hearing spike too." Unconsciously Spike tightened his grip, irrationally annoyed with himself for not being there when he'd been needed.

Xander seemed to sense his distress and reached up to run his hand along Spike's forearm. "It's OK, you can't be with me 24-7, I need to learn how to manage this myself sometimes." They lay holding each other close for comfort fo a few moments before Xander continued. "Anyway, I think I must have fallen off the couch. I was on the floor trying to cover my eyes and ears to escape the light and noise, when I caught a whiff of this wonderful smell. I just knew deep inside that I'd be safe if I could get to the source of that smell so I started following it on my hands and knees. I got to the bedroom and found your t-shirt, grabbed it up, crawled into the closet with it, and waited, I knew you'd find me."

"I'm sorry" Spike murmured into Xander's hair. "I'm so sorry."

"What for?" Xander pulled back and looked up into his guide's eyes. "We will get this under control, you have your own life to live, you have nothing to apologise for!" and he watched carefully waiting for the infinitesimal nod of Spike's head before he settled back down, curled up beside his vampire once more.

Spike held Xander close as the younger man slept, his fingers gently carding through the soft brown hair as his mind wandered over the events of the evening. What, he wondered, was happening here? If it had been anyone else he'd have thought he was falling in love, Willow, Buffy, even Dawn, but this was Xander, a man, he'd never fallen for a man before. Of course he'd heard all the stories, the Demon inside doesn't care about the form, the Demon wants what the Demon wants, but that had never been him before. It doesn't matter he decided, it can't matter, Xander doesn't swing that way. Of course, he had asked Willow to 'gay him up' that time so... but no, can't think that way, Xander likes girls, soft and squishy in all the right places. Xander needs a guide and a friend, "and I can be that for him", Spike whispered the last few words as he finally drifted down into sleep.

Xander woke the next morning clasped tight in Spike's arms. "This is getting to be a habit" he thought to himself as he gently extricated himself and made his way to the bathroom to freshen up for the day. A quick shower and a change of clothes later he padded back through the bedroom, stopping briefly to watch the vampire as he slept before heading out to the kitchen and breakfast.

Twenty minutes later found Xander sat at the kitchen counter, breathing in the aromatic steam from his coffee cup and thinking that he really should be moving but not quite able to gather the energy. He sat lost in that pleasant lethargy when it feels like you haven't moved in years, and you're not completely sure anything would happen even if you did try it. His reverie was broken when he heard the door open and looked up to see Spike come out of the bedroom, eyes practically closed and hair still mussed from sleep he had been drawn to wakefulness by the fragrant fumes from the coffee pot and prepared himself a cup of strong, black coffee before settling down opposite Xander.

Xander lapsed back into his musing as they sat there together in companionable silence waiting for the caffeine to do it's work on living and undead flesh alike. Eventually Spike gave an all over body shake and seemed to return to the world of the living. "So, what are we doing today?" he asked.

"Well, I'm heading over to the Magic Box to put up those shelves for Giles." Xander began.

"Right" said Spike standing briskly, "when do we leave?"

"We don't, you're staying here." Xander stood too, wanting to be on a level standing with the angry vampire he expected to be confronting in three, two, one...

"What!" Spike shouted, he had thought they had reached an understanding, now his insecurities reared their ugly heads once more. "You're going to her aren't you, you're going to let her be your guide." Spike was breathing heavily, barely containing the rage within him as he glared at Xander.

"I am going to the Magic Box, and I probably will zone out and Willow will try to bring me back." He stood his ground, confident that Spike could never hurt him, not after all they'd shared in the last few days. "But she will fail! and Giles will call you, and you will succeed!" He paused for a moment to see if he was reaching the angry vampire. "I couldn't let her be my guide if I wanted to, and I don't want to! I've been sitting here thinking about what you said last night, and you were right, I can't keep stringing Willow on, it's not fair on her and it's not fair on you." He relaxed slightly as he saw the barely restrained rage in Spike's eyes fade away. "We need to bring this to a head, it's no use trying to tell Willow that she's not my guide, we have to show her and this is the only way."

Spike nodded, "OK, but I could still come with you. I'll stay back, out of the way until Willow knows that she can't do it. I don't have to stay here." Spike looked hopeful until he saw the small shake of Xander's head.

"It wouldn't work, I'd know you were there, I don't think I even could zone with you there, and if I did then I think you could bring me out of it without even getting close if it was only a light zone. We can't risk reinforcing Willow's belief that she can do this." Xander stepped forward, almost reaching out to Spike, needing him to understand that they had to do it this way. At the point of reaching out he realised what he was about to do and quickly held himself in check, he couldn't seem too needy, that would just drive Spike away and he didn't think he could survive that.

Spike stepped back, "OK, but make sure Giles knows to call me, the girls won't want him to, you'll have to make him understand." He'd thought the boy was about to step into his arms again, he'd wanted him to, he didn't like this plan and needed the reassurance that it would give to hold Xander however briefly. But it hadn't happened, was he that pathetic, pining for the touch of a human. Huffing in self disgust he quickly turned and strode over to the couch, throwing himself down on it and reaching for the remote, Passions would be starting.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note : Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, favourites and this story has now even been added to two communities. Here's the next chapter, enjoy.

Xander set out to walk to the Magic Box, enjoying the fresh morning air. "Must track down the car some time" he thought. Still all the walking was good and he enjoyed having the time to think. He thought now about what was going to happen this morning, he was planning to intentionally zone. It was kind of a scary thought but he couldn't see any other way to drive it home for Willow that she couldn't just decide to be his guide, it didn't work that way. Still, Spike was right about one thing, he should have a discreet word with Giles away from the girls to make sure that he would call Spike when Willow failed.

He turned into the street where the Magic Box stood and started to whistle a jaunty tune. As he passed the coffee shop he remembered that they were almost out of mini marshmallows for Spike to sprinkle on his blood. He turned to ask Spike to remind him to pick some up on the way home and was shocked to see he wasn't there, he had become so used to having his support that he'd forgotten for an instance that he had to do this alone.

"Show time!" he muttered to himself as he pushed open the door and walked into the store. Giles was stood behind the counter working on a large ledger while Buffy, Willow and Tara were sat at the research table all leafing through hefty tomes further investigating the Sentinel phenomena. Giles, Buffy and Tara all looked up briefly to acknowledge Xander's entrance but it was Willow who leapt out of her chair and rushed over to him.

"Hi, how are you feeling? Did you sleep well? Have you had any sensory spikes? Did you manage to read all the papers I left with you? Are you sure you're OK?" The words tumbled out of Willow's mouth so fast even Xander had trouble keeping up. He held up his hands to ward off the over eager girl and instructed her to "Breathe Willow" and waiting for her to settle down a little before answering her questions. "Hi, I'm fine, yes, no, most and yes." He felt a small qualm at the lie but he didn't want her to create a massive scene, he really just wanted to get this over with but had to hide that from her. She was trying really hard to help him and he felt like he was being really ungrateful but the impression he got from reading Blair's papers was that a guide was a really calming person, someone who could stay in control and help his Sentinel to maintain his own control. Willow was just too hyper, he loved her dearly but sometimes he just had to wonder how Tara could deal with that level of energy day in day out.

Willow looked up at him sternly from under her brows, "You're sure you're OK?" she asked.

"I'm fine Willow, honestly, I just need to speak to Giles about exactly what he wants me to do and then I'll get to work." He gripped her shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes. "OK?"

"OK" she replied, and gestured back towards the table, "I'll just get back to work then."

Xander watched as she seated herself back down next to Tara and took up the blonde girls hand to reassure herself. Then he made his way over to lean on the counter next to Giles. "So G-Man, show me what you need in the store room." he asked, dragging the older man out of his columns of numbers, to be honest he looked relieved to be pulled away from the book, that was a first for Giles so far as Xander could remember.

"Of course, this way" Giles led him over to the small store room in question and soon they were deep in discussion working out the middle ground between what Giles wanted and what Xander felt was physically possible. He'd almost forgotten how much he loved this, the self confidence that came with knowing exactly what he was doing and what could and could not be done with the materials available. Giles was just about to leave him to it when Xander remembered that he needed to have a quick word with the older man before he went back out to the girls.

"Oh Giles, one more thing" he was suddenly hesitant, the confidence that came with talking of carpentry evaporating quicker than the morning dew. "I just wanted to ask you" he paused, unsure of himself and then tried again "if anything happens today" this all seemed so much easier in his head on the walk over here.

"Yes Xander? is there a problem, should I call Willow?" Giles sounded very concerned and had started to turn towards the door.

"No!" Xander shocked himself as he snapped out the word. "No, please, just, if anything happens with my senses, please call Spike he'll be able to deal with it. Promise me." Xander heard the rising desperation in his voice and took his own advice from earlier, taking in a deep breath and breathing out slowly to calm himself. "I'm sorry, it's just if anything happens, I know Willow will try to deal with it, but I'm pretty sure she won't be able to. Spike can, promise me you'll call him." There, that was better, much more controlled.

He looked up slowly to see the look of dawning comprehension on Giles' face. "He's your guide?"

Xander could only nod, terrified for a moment that Giles would call the girls in and tell them the truth. An instant later he knew that he was a fool to think Giles would do that to him. Giles nodded and flashed him the smallest of understanding smiles before he went back out into the main floor of the shop, carefully closing the door behind him.

Xander took a deep steadying breath and turned back to the pile of lumber in the room to start work. He worked steadily on the shelving for several hours, so engrossed in his work he hardly registered the passage of time. He was surprised to look at his watch and realised that it was mid-afternoon and he had been working steadily for a good five hours with no sign of a zone out. It was time to change that.

After measuring the next length of wood he needed Xander set it up on the saw-horse and started to cut, he made a few good strokes of the saw, getting a quarter of the way through the plank, then he slowed, moving the saw only enough to keep a gentle cloud of sawdust floating around him. Now he concentrated on watching the dust motes as they danced in the air. This was dangerous, he knew that, trying to bring on a zone whilst working with such sharp tools, but he needed to make this look good. He tried to remember the feel of the previous evening as he had felt himself starting to zone then, slowly he felt that same feeling coming over him again, but this time he did not fight it. No, this time he purposely went with that feeling, letting it drag him down, deeper and deeper until all he could see was the motes of dust floating the glare from the naked light bulb above him. His hands slowed and finally stopped and he stood there, frozen one hand on the saw, the other on the plank, one knee up to help secure the wood he was working on. Mission accomplished, but Xander couldn't celebrate, he was lost to all external sensation, lost inside his head watching tiny particles dancing in the glaring light.

Giles had been preternaturally aware of the sounds emanating from the store room all day. Several times a silence had fallen for a short time and he had stiffened, wondering if this was the time, had Xander zoned out, it had certainly sounded like Xander expected to. However every time the sounds of sawing and hammering started up again after a few minutes and Giles breathed a sigh of relief and carried on trying to make sense out of his book keeping ledgers. It was with some concern that Giles realised that the current period of silence had lasted over 20 minutes, more than twice the length of any of the previous lulls, and he decided to investigate.

Crossing the shop floor to the storeroom door Giles rapped gently with his knuckles to warn of his impending entrance and then opened the door. There stood Xander, frozen in the act of sawing a plank to size. He stepped up to the frozen figure and checked for breathing and pulse, Xander seemed fine, merely frozen in place, locked up inside his own head. Giles stepped to the door and called for Willow.

Willow was engrossed in her research that he had to call her a second time before she heard him and looked up. Even then it was a moment before she registered where Giles was standing. "Xander! What's happened to him?" Giles simply stepped back and allowed her into the room so that she could see for herself. Buffy and Tara had followed their friend and stood now, peering around the doorway to see what was happening.

Quickly realising that Xander was in a zone out, Willow stepped around to stand in front of him so that she try to see what had caused the zone. She stood quietly for a moment, thinking back over everything she had read in Blair's dissertation. She knew that this was the make or break point for her desperate plan to become Xander's guide. If she could do this, if she could pull him out of this \zone then everything would be fine. Of course if she couldn't... No she wasn't going to go there. "Failure is not an option" she muttered to herself, right it looks like he zoned on sight, that was the most common according to Blair. So, use his other senses to draw him back into himself, hearing is one of the strongest so we'll try that.

She stepped up and spoke to Xander, "Xander, come on back to us, Xander, listen to me, follow my voice back to me, Xander, you're worrying us all, Xander, come back to us." She tried for a good five minutes, cajoling, commanding, pleading and finally almost begging Xander to speak to her, but nothing happened, he simply stood there, frozen like a statue in the centre of the room. Eventually she gave up on hearing and moved on to touch. Xander had stripped down to his t-shirt as he worked so she reached out and ran her hands down his bare arms, when gentle rubbing had no effect she hooked her fingers and dragged her nails up and down his arms. There was still no response and so she tried combining the two, speaking to Xander again as she touched him on all the exposed flesh she could reach, running her hands over his arms, round his neck, down his face. Still no response, it had been over twenty minutes now and she was starting to panic, what if she couldn't do this, could he bring himself out of it. Willow was frantic now and then she noticed Giles backing quietly out of the room, Buffy following him so she crossed to the door to see what was going on.

Out on the shop floor Giles moved quickly to the phone and picked up the handset, but Buffy moved quicker and reached out to press it back into the cradle. "What are you doing Giles?" she asked.

"This isn't working!" Giles practically hissed into her face, a combination of frustration and trying to keep his voice down so as not to disturb Willow from her attempts to rouse Xander. But as he jerked his head to indicate the store room door he saw her standing there, watching the confrontation between Buffy and himself.

"I'm sorry Willow, but it isn't working" he spoke in a softer tone this time, unwilling to hurt the girl but very concerned about Xander.

"Who are you calling?" Buffy asked, her hand still preventing him from lifting the receiver. "This Blair character? He's already refused to help, why would you think he'd change his mind now, he obviously doesn't care!" Her voice rose with the angry words until the last were shouted at Giles.

"No, not Mr Sandburg. Spike."

"Spike, what do we need him for, he doesn't know anything about Sentinels, and Xander doesn't even like him!"

"Buffy, you know that that is not true, Spike has helped Xander before and has been staying with him for the last few days." Giles tried to reason with the angry slayer. "Xander seems to trust Spike, and I really think he can help."

"Why would he be able to help? Willow is Xander's guide, we decided that yesterday didn't we?" Buffy now sounded both angry and confused and Giles truly understood why Xander had felt the need to demonstrate to Willow and Buffy rather than just tell them Willow wasn't his guide. But he also realised suddenly that he was going to have to do the explaining.

"Spike has helped before." Giles repeated himself, stalling for time. "Maybe not just any guide will do, maybe a Sentinel needs his own guide. I've been doing some more reading and it may be that Sentinels imprint on their own specific guide, someone in tune with them. I think that Spike is Xander's guide." Giles braced himself for the coming explosion but was surprised when Buffy just grinned.

"No problem" and Buffy pulled Mr. Pointy out from his holster in her boot. "We can take care of that easily."

"Buffy Ann Summers! You put that away right now!"

Buffy looked around for her mother before realising that it had been Willow who had spoken. She couldn't keep the whine out of her voice though. "Oh, but Willow, please."

"No, there will be no staking of Spike." Willow stamped her foot as she laid down the law. "Sure I want to be Xander's guide. I want to be there for him and help to make this right, but this isn't the way to go about it. Willow paused, this was obviously difficult for her to say. "What if Giles is right, if Spike is the only guide for Xander? Could you stand to watch Xander go through that just because we don't like Spike?"

Giles was stunned at Willow's outburst but also so very proud of her. He turned to see Buffy's response and saw her lift her hand from the phone at a slight nod from Willow. He quickly grabbed up the receiver and dialled Xander's home number and prayed for Spike to pick up.

Spike had spent the morning watching Passions, after that was finished some game show came on, he had no idea which one, it just washed over him, until the bells and whistles and inane canned laughter became too much and he angrily snapped of the TV with the remote. Then he settled in to wait with the patience that only came from over 130 years of life coupled with the instincts of a true predator. He lay comfortably reclined on the couch, eyes focussed on the phone, waiting for it to ring. At 12:30 the phone finally rang and he snatched it up. "Hello".

"Good Afternoon, my name is Mandy and I'm calling on behalf of..."

The caller got no further as Spike turned the air blue with a stream of obscenities to make a sailor blush and stabbed the end-call button before settling back down to wait once more.

At a quarter past three the phone rang again. "Hello"

"Spike, thank goodness, Xander's zoned out, Willow can't bring him out of it, can you get over here." The last was spoken to an empty room as Spike grabbed his duster and headed for the basement of the building. Making his way swiftly through the sewers below Sunnydale he made his way to the alley at the back of the Magic Box. Quickly calculating the position of the sun he decided that the alley should be in deep enough shade this late in the afternoon and he popped the manhole cover and leapt up into the alley and to the back door of the store. As he stepped in to the training room Giles was waiting for him. "This way, he's still in the zone I'm afraid."

Spike followed the ex-watcher and pushed past him as he got to the stock room door. Seeing Xander still frozen in the middle of the room he muttered to himself. "Oh Xander, what have you done to yourself?" Moving into the room he laid a hand on Xander's forearm, "come back pet" was all he said and slowly Xander's stiffened body relaxed and he shook his head as if waking out of a deep trance. Spike quickly grabbed his shoulders to steady him as Xander swayed, his body uncoordinated after the long zone-out.

"Whoa, what happened?" Xander sounded a little groggy as Spike led him out of the small room and to a seat on the main shop floor.

"You zoned out whilst working on the shelving, are you feeling OK now, are your senses playing up at all?"

Xander looked up at Spike, "what are you doing here. You were supposed to stay home so we could let Willow try to bring me out of it."

Hearing the confusion in her friend's voice Willow spoke up. "I tried Xander, I really tried, for almost half an hour before Giles decided to call Spike." Hearing the imminent tears in Willow's voice and knowing that Xander would need to comfort his oldest friend, Spike stepped back. "I'm so sorry." Willow stood there with an expression of such immense sorrow on her face that Xander had to go to her. He hauled himself to his feet, who knew you could ache so badly just from standing still, and took her into his arms. "Shhhh," he stroked her hair gently, "it's OK, I'm fine. I know you wanted to be my guide but it wasn't meant to be. Spike is my guide and we're going to need your help to figure all this out." He straightened up and looked into her tearful eyes. "Will you help us? Please."

Willow gave a watery smile and nodded, "Of course. What do you need from me?" Now that her friend needed her help she quickly pulled herself together and was ready for business.

"What we really need is to speak to this Blair guy. Have you any idea why he wouldn't speak to you?"

"No, I rang the number and asked if I was speaking to Blair Sandburg, he was very abrupt, asked 'Who wants to know' so I told him my name and told him about you and, well he was very rude."

"OK, so the question is, did you speak to Blair, or was it someone else. Didn't you say he had a room-mate?" Xander tried to think through the problem logically, it was much easier now that he had Spike beside him. He hadn't known how off-balance he'd felt all morning until he had Spike back at his side and suddenly the world stood firmly on all four legs once more.

"Yes! His Sentinel, Jim Ellison, he's a detective in the Cascade Major Crimes unit."

"Ahhh, that could explain a lot." Giles spoke up. "From what I've read Sentinels are highly territorial with a strong need to protect. And I suspect that it may be especially strong in this one, particularly in respect to his guide."

"Why do you say that Giles?" Spike expressed the curiosity that they all felt.

"Well, he's a highly decorated Police officer and before that he was an army Ranger, so he seems to have strong protective instincts. In addition to that it seems that several years ago a rogue Sentinel arrived in Cascade. Mr Sandburg tried to help her but didn't tell Detective Ellison about it. She eventually killed Mr Sandburg and ran off to Peru."

"Blair's dead!" Buffy exclaimed.

"Well no. Detective Ellison revived him. The rogue Sentinel drowned him in a fountain on the campus of Rainier University. He was down for several minutes, the EMT's had given up but Detective Ellison kept trying and somehow he managed to pull him back."

"Yeah Buff, how many times have you died, and you're not dead." Xander gently teased his friend.

"Just twice." Buffy answered primly but then ruined the effect by flashing a big grin that eased the tension in the room.

"Yes, very well. So what we have is a highly protective Sentinel who doesn't want another Sentinel within 1000 miles of his guide if he has anything to say about. The chances are Mr Sandburg doesn't even know about your telephone call Willow." Giles neatly summed up all their conjectures. "So, where does that leave us?" He asked in closing.

Spike and Xander looked at each other quickly, glee shining in two sets of eyes, before both shouting "ROAD TRIP!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors Note** : Thank you AnneWentworth for taking the time to review this story, it is much appreciated. Thanks also to all those who've favourited or alerted this story.

**Life is Change - Chapter 6**

Spike and Xander grinned at each other across the table while the girls stared at them in stunned shock. Giles simply removed his glasses and started to polish the lenses.

"Who's going on a road trip?" the frozen tableau sprang to life as everyone turned to see Dawn standing in the doorway.

"WHAT! No, no road-trip." Buffy was adamant and turned to her watcher. "Giles, tell them, no road-trip."

Giles carefully replaced his glasses and looked at the grinning boys at the table. Spike might be over 140 years old, but at the moment both he and Xander looked like teenagers again. Spike suddenly realised the ridiculous grin on his face did not go well with his tough guy image and assumed a smirk much more in keeping with his reputation.

"I'm sorry, I don't quite follow, why road-trip?" the confused Englishman asked. "Surely if Detective Ellison is that territorial then a full-fledged Sentinel turning up unannounced on his doorstep is a bad move?"

A quick glance passed between the two, unnoticed by all but Giles, before Spike gave a sharp nod thinking it better for Xander to do the explanations. "Exactly" blurted out Xander.

Spike looked at all the confused faces and thought that maybe he should have risked the wrath of Buffy and Willow and explained the reasoning himself. He was about to step in when Xander seemed to realise that the logic was not as apparent to his audience as it clearly was to himself and Spike and tried again.

"What I mean is, Jim isn't going to let us talk to Blair on the phone if he can help it, and even if we do manage to get hold of Blair he's not going to want to risk upsetting his Sentinel, especially after what happened to them before." He looked around the anxious faces at the table to see if they were following him. "If we go to Cascade and approach them cautiously, show respect for Jim's territory, get permission to speak to Blair then maybe he'll be a little bit more reasonable."

"You're speaking about Blair like he's property!" objected Willow.

"I'm sorry Willow, you know that's not how I feel, but I get the impression that that's how an alpha Sentinel might well think of his guide." Xander paused for a moment, watching Willow to see if he was forgiven. When he saw the infinitesimal relaxation of the frown currently marring the red-heads brow he carried on. "We stop maybe ten miles outside of Cascade, I stay at the motel and Spike goes in alone. If this Sentinel is as attuned to his senses as I hope then he'll recognise a guide and Spike will be in no danger. Not that he can't take care of himself if necessary." He added swiftly at Spikes sudden affronted look.

"That sounds like a reasonable plan." Giles ignored the disgruntled vampire, allowing him to calm down on his own. As much as Xander needed Spike to keep him grounded, the Watcher had noticed that the reverse was also true, it seemed Spikes need to be there for Xander helped the vampire remain centred.

"Of course it's a good plan. Hey Strategy guy here, remember!" Some of Xander's old exuberance showed through with the expansive gesture that accompanied the words.

"Hang on a minute." Dawn had grown tired of being ignored. "You mean Spike and Xander are going to see this Blair guy? I thought he'd refused to help them." Dawn looked around the table at the faces before her.

"We're pretty sure that Willow didn't speak to Blair, we think it was Jim, his Sentinel. Xander seems to think it's a good idea to go confront him on his own turf." Catching the eyes of Xander, Giles and Spike Buffy carried on "I say no, bad plan, very bad plan."

This time it was Willow who spoke up in defence of the proposed trip. "Actually it makes sense, we'll never convince them we're genuine while we are here and they are all the way up in Cascade. But if they can meet Spike first, if the Sentinel can see that Xander has his own guide and is no danger to Blair, then he might let them in."

"OK, so when are you leaving?" Dawn asked Xander.

"What! No, bad plan! Remember."

Dawn just looked at her sister like she'd grown another head. "They're going Buffy, get over it already."

With that the team settled down to plan the trip. Buffy glared at her sister and then stalked over to the counter, leaping nimbly up to sit beside the cash register and glare across the room at the rest of the gang.

"So the first thing is to find my car!" Xander declared.

"Well that should be easy. I imagine it's where you left it, outside Shady Acres, or was it Shady Palms. Come to think of it it might have been Shady Glen. There's a lot of Shady places around here."

Giles shot Spike a look of annoyance. "You said you found Xander in a cemetery on the way home from here the other night. In that case wouldn't Restful Pines be more likely?"

"Not necessarily." Willow chipped in. "It could have been Peaceful Rest or..."

Pretty soon a lively debate was flowing with the team tossing around the names of the many cemeteries in Sunnydale until Spike abruptly brought the conversation back on track. "I don't know why we need to track down your car anyway, find something you like and I'll hotwire it, problem solved."

"Spike!" Xanders shocked exclamation turned Spikes smug look to confusion before registering his own confusion at Willows comment.

"So cute! But I don't think turning up on the doorstep of a decorated cop in a stolen car is going to help your cause any."

Everybody's head snapped towards Willow echoing her words, "cute?" before they all shook it off as part of Willows normal weirdness.

Spikes expression turned thoughtful. "OK, point taken. I'll go get the car, what else do we need?"

At that Giles began to list their likely needs for a long journey. "Money, clothes, maps, food, water." He looked around to see if anyone had anything else to add to the list. Receiving no further suggestions he started assigning tasks. "Spike you go find the car, Xander go with him, once you have the car both of you head back to the apartment and back your bags for a few days away. Willow, when you get home get on the computer and plan a route for them, find then a cheap motel they can stay in around 10 miles this side of Cascade and a couple of cheap places to stay along the way. There's not a lot else we can do tonight. Buffy can you do a quick patrol, call in if you need backup. I'll go to the bank tomorrow, get you some money for the trip."

Everyone was nodding along with his instructions until the last one. "Giles No! That's not necessary. I have money." Xander spoke up quickly, he'd been running some quick calculations in his head, seeing how much he could afford to take with him and still be able to make next months rent and eat in the meantime. Even so there was no way he could take charity from Giles.

"Xander, let me help you." Giles raised his hand to clasp Xanders shoulder. "You can pay me back when you're back on your feet if you must but really, I owe you far more than however much this might take, what with all the work you've done around the store."

Xander held Giles' look for a moment before dropping his gaze and nodding briefly. "Thanks G-man."

"And don't call me that." But there was no heat in his voice as Giles dropped his hand and turned away. "Alright, we meet back here after closing tomorrow. We'll go over our final plans and then you can get off once it's full dark." Pulling $150 from his wallet he handed it to an embarrassed Xander. "Stock up on food and drink for the journey, I doubt you'll have chance to shop for Spike's special dietary needs on the way." At Xander's blank look he added "blood!"

Xander's expression cleared and thanking Giles he shoved the notes into his jeans pocket and turned to Spike. "Lead on Mcduff" he declared and followed the vampire out onto the street.

They walked in silence for some time. Xander simply enjoying the quiet of the early spring evening as they walked, reaching his car some twenty minutes later. Xander looked around him and realised they were standing outside the Shady Days cemetery where Spikes former residence lay. "Hey Spike, given you've lived here for the last few years, what was all that about back there with the Shady Palms crap."

"Hey, if they can't tell when I'm pulling their legs that's not my problem." Spike tossed over his shoulder as he moved to the driver's door and pulled it open. "A guy's got to get his kicks somehow, it ain't easy living with a chip in your head you know."

Xander climbed into the car and they set off back to his apartment. It was only as they pulled onto his street that he thought to ask "and why are you driving my car?" But there was no heat in his voice, only curiosity.

"Well, it's not a good idea to drive when you're susceptible to unpredictable zone-outs or sensory spikes now is it?"

"Hey, that's not fair, I haven't had a zone since..."

"This afternoon?"

"Hmm, an unpredictable zone since..." Xander tried again.

"Yesterday?" Spike interjected. "This isn't getting any better."

"That could be considered predictable you know." Even though he knew it was hopeless Xander gave it one last try.

"Really? How do you work that out?" Spike asked, truly fascinated to hear how Xander would justify that last statement.

"Well, you weren't there!" Spike was stunned into silence and relishing the small victory Xander climbed out of the car and walked up to his apartment followed by a shocked vampire still trying to process that response.

As they entered Xander's home Spike seemed to shake off his daze and held out his hand. "Hand it over, I'm off on a supply run, twenty minutes tops, you'll be OK for that long, yeah?"

"Sure," Xander handed over the cash but was surprised when Spike returned $50. "What's that for?"

"If you think I'm stocking up on twinkies for you then you've got another think coming." He stated. "Tomorrow you can pop out and get your own supplies." Thinking quickly he added "not too much sugar. There's no way I'm spending 3 days in a car with you on a sugar high, do you want to end up driving to Cascade in the trunk?" With that mild threat still hanging in the air Spike turned and left to stock up on supplies for their trip the following evening.

Finding himself alone Xander gazed longingly at the couch. He still felt a little shaken by the long zone out earlier but however much he longed to collapse in front of the TV and lose himself in some mindless action movie he had work to do. Heading into the bathroom he looked with dismay at the overflowing linen hamper, looking across the hall to the bedroom he could see the laundry that had not yet made its way to the hamper. Sighing he started to gather everything together, if they were going to be away for a trip of at least a week then he'd need clean clothes. Leaving a note for Spike he headed down to the basement laundry room.

It was actually a little over an hour later that Spike returned from his errand. It was surprisingly difficult to obtain a large supply of blood on short notice, even in Sunnydale, especially when you weren't prepared to take it straight from the vein. He extended his vampire senses as he entered the building, memories of the last time he had left Xander alone rearing up in the back of his mind. This time however he felt none of the uneasiness he had felt before. This time all seemed calm and peaceful. As he entered the apartment he could tell he was alone and began to wonder is something was amiss after all, however as soon as he went into the kitchen to store the blood he'd stocked up on for the coming trip, he saw the note on the counter.

Picking it up he read in Xander's hasty scrawl

Attacking the laundry monster down in the basement

The more the merrier

Xander

Chuckling quietly at the vision that swam in front of his eyes of Xander fending off a mountain of dirty laundry with a bottle of detergent in one hand and a clothes peg in the other Spike headed on down to defend his Sentinel.

Walking down the corridor to the half open door of the laundry room Spike could hear the slightly off-key whistling that reassured him that his Sentinel had come to no harm during his absence. Standing in the doorway he viewed the scene of cheerful domesticity as Xander bent over the open door of one of the machines, finished pulling the clothes out into a basket and crossed over to one of the large dryers. Moving quickly forward as he saw the basket start to slip as Xander tried to hold it on his hip with one hand while opening the dryer door with the other, Spike grabbed the basket just before it overbalanced saving the just cleaned wash from the dusty floor.

"Geeze Spike, warn a guy next time!" Xander yelped in shock, hand clutched to his frantically beating heart as he stood feeling like he must have jumped a foot in shock at the sudden appearance of the vampire.

Spike huffed in amusement, "well if you want me to let the basket fall next time..." he trailed off.

"No, just stamp your feet or something, how long had you even been there?"

"Not long, supplies are all stashed in the fridge. What happened to Sentinel hearing anyway, didn't think I'd be able to creep up on you anymore?"

"Hmm, good point, I was trying something I'd read in Blair's dissertation. He mentioned having his Sentinel visualise dials to turn individual senses up and down. I was trying it on hearing, it gets pretty loud in here with 3 machines going." Xander looked across at one of the other machines as it clicked to a halt, ending it's cycle. "I guess I might have turned it down a little too far."

"Ya think?" Spike sounded pissed but when he realised just how clueless Xander was of the danger he had just put himself in he clarified. "Don't do things like that with your senses, not unless I'm around to keep you safe." Xander now looked confused. "Alone in the basement, after dark, loud machines and your hearing turned practically off?" Spike watched Xander and suddenly saw the realisation blossom in his eyes.

"Geeze, that was really stupid huh?" He asked, not really expecting an answer but getting a wry nod from the vampire anyway.

Xander had now finished emptying one basket into the dryer but before he could start on the next finished washer Spike stepped in and grabbed his biceps forcing Xander to meet his gaze. "I know you want to get a handle on the Sentinel stuff and get your life back." He waited for the small nod from Xander before continuing. "And you will, but you have to take it slowly. Please don't experiment with your senses unless I'm around to help out if anything goes wrong." Xander nodded again.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking, just looking forward to tomorrow, you, me and the open road. What more could a guy wish for?"

"Ponce." muttered Spike as he moved off to sit on the folding table. Vampires did not do laundry.

OK, maybe they do a bit of laundry he thought a couple of hours later as he helped Xander fold the last of the wash.

"We done?" He asked, and at Xander's affirmative nod he picked up the two baskets of completed laundry, stacking them one on top of the other and headed for the door, stopping for Xander to open it he realised the boy was lost in thought. "Hey! Pet!" He called.

Xander dragged his thoughts away from the ripple of muscles as Spike hefted the heavy baskets of clean clothes and quickly opened the door, preceding the vampire up the hall to call the elevator.

Getting back to the apartment they left the baskets out to pack in the morning and headed gratefully off to bed, it had been a long day and looked likely to be another one tomorrow.

It was late in the morning by the time Xander awoke the next day. He lay enjoying the lazy feeling as he snuggled in his vampire's strong embrace. His senses had calmed down a lot over the last few days, what with knowing the cause of the sensory spikes and having his guide close by most of the time. He was pretty sure he could sleep without nightmares as long as Spike was in the apartment. Still no need to mess with a system that's working so well, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." He thought to himself as he reluctantly pulled out of Spike's hold and got ready for the day.

Some time later Xander was just finishing up forcing the last of Spike's newly washed clothing into a holdall, his own clothing was already packed up in a large duffel ready for their trip, when Spike finally awoke and ambled out of the bedroom. "Wow, you've been busy Pet" as he surveyed the packed bags and the clean and tidy apartment.

"Well, if I can't find a job pretty quick after we get back from this trip then I'm probably going to have to give this place up and look for somewhere smaller." Xander cast a melancholy look around the apartment as he spoke, this place meant so much to him, it had been his first taste of true independence and everything had been going so well until the Xeljax had struck. Shaking off the despondency he looked up at Spike, still he'd gained so much since then, he was no longer the lone 'normal' human, he had powers of his own, and his very own guide to help him learn to understand and control them.

The boy's face truly was an open book Spike realised as he tracked every thought across those expressive features. He'd have to do something about contributing to the household finances he decided. Still he'd need to be careful about how he approached the subject, he didn't want to hurt Xander's pride or his bad boy image. He decided to leave that for now, there would be time enough when they got back from Cascade, now they needed to concentrate on preparations for the trip.

Now that Spike was up Xander grabbed his jacket and with a quick explanation headed out to shop for snacks to keep him going in the car on the long drive ahead. He felt a little nervous as he got behind the wheel of his car but a few deep breaths calmed his nerves and he started the engine and headed for Walmart. The car park was crowded as he drove in and he had to park quite a way away from the building. Still it was a bright sunny day and he would be done and home well before dark so he wasn't worried.

Nodding to the greeter at the door he headed straight for the twinkies and similar sweet snacks, but remembering Spike's threat of the night before he limited himself to just a handful of the sweet stuff. Instead he bought himself a selection of pre-packed sandwiches and a variety of fresh fruit juices. Wandering around the store he spotted a cooler on sale and decided to add that to his purchases before heading to the checkout.

A few minutes later Xander had paid and was heading across the car park laden down with shopping bags when a man stepped out from behind a van. Xander could smell the rank stink rolling off the figure before him and tensed even before the man spoke.

"Your wallet. Now!" And suddenly Xander found himself with two arms full of shopping facing a very large and dirty looking knife blade. Instinctively he took a step back and the man thrust forward threateningly with the knife. Xander was about to drop the cooler in order to reach for his wallet when he'd swear he heard a deep animalistic growl coming from slightly behind and below his right hip. Suddenly the mugger's attention was no longer focussed on Xander and he was instead staring in horror at something just behind and to the right of Xander's right leg. Dropping the knife the man turned and fled, but when Xander turned to see what had scared him so there was nothing there.

Shrugging and putting it down to another case of general Sunnydale weirdness Xander pondered what to do with the knife left behind by the fleeing mugger. Deciding the only safe thing to do was to hand it in to the authorities, such as they were, he carefully picked it up by pinching the very tip of the blade between forefinger and thumb. He figured that was the best way to avoid obliterating any prints left by the former owner. Slipping it into his new cooler he headed on towards his car and was soon pulling up outside the Sunnydale police station.

Walking up to the front desk with the new cooler in his hand he waited for the officer on duty to finish dealing with the lady in front of him before stepping forward and explaining what had happened in the car park.

"So the guy just ran off?" The officer sounded frankly disbelieving and Xander began to worry that he'd made the wrong decision. Still, he was here now so there was no choice but to go on with it.

"Yeah, just got this terrified look on his face all of a sudden, he was staring right behind me and then he ran off. I guess he was on drugs, hallucinations, you know?" Gangs on drugs was the explanation for a lot of things around Sunnydale, let's see if it will help me now Xander thought.

The officer considered this for a minute and then nodded, "OK, let's see this knife then."  
Xander lifted the cooler onto the counter and removed the lid revealing the wicked looking knife within.

"Hmm, nasty looking thing." The officer looked up at Xander with a new respect in his eyes, if the lad had faced up to a mugger wielding this then maybe there was more to him than met the eye. "OK, can you tip it out onto the desk here, carefully." He requested and picked up the desk phone to call someone called Smitty to come on down with a collecting kit. As they waited for Smitty to arrive Xander watched fascinated as the officer used his pen to spin the knife around on the desk. The sudden slam of the door as Smitty arrived jarred Xander out of the almost hypnotic state he'd fallen into watching the knife spin. Shaking his head quickly he pulled himself together and repeated the story of the happenings in the car park earlier that afternoon.

Smitty asked a few questions, clarifying events and getting a description of Xander's attacker and exactly how much Xander had handled the weapon and then with Smitty's thanks for his civic minded actions ringing in his ears Xander was on his way home.  
Xander had barely turned his key in the lock before the door was ripped out of his hands and unbalanced he stumbled into his apartment.

"What happened, are you alright?" The shopping bags were plucked out of his arms and he found himself subject to a careful inspection by an over anxious vampire in full game face.

Considering discretion to be the better part of valour Xander stood still and allowed Spike to reassure himself that Xander had come to no harm. "I'm fine, some guy tried to mug me in the car park, it was the weirdest thing." Before Xander could continue his was interrupted by a very angry vampire.

"You were mugged! Who was it, just wait til I get this chip out, he's a dead man walking."

Holding his arms out slightly to his sides Xander tried to calm his raging guide / vampire. He wasn't entirely sure which side of Spike was more enraged by the events of the afternoon. How had Spike even known anything was up, he hadn't been wounded so there was no blood to smell. He'd have to ask once he'd got Spike calmed down.  
"I'm fine." He repeated "the guy was waving around this big ass knife and then he turned white as a sheet, looked terrified and ran off dropping his knife as he went."

"Terrified? Terrified of what? And where's the knife now?"

"I've no idea what scared him, it was odd." Xander paused wondering if he really had heard anything before the guy ran off, then he decided he had to tell Spike everything, what if it was some Sentinel thing, Spike deserved to know it all. "I thought I heard an animal growl behind me, it was the strangest thing, I wasn't going to look around when there was a guy in front of me waving a huge knife, and when I looked back after he run off there was nothing there. Weird."

Spike seemed to have finally convinced himself that Xander was uninjured but the demon was still very much to the fore and still in game face he pulled Xander over to the couch. Xander was unresisting, allowing the vampire to do whatever it needed to reassure himself that Xander was safe. Carefully Spike manoeuvred them so that Xander was lying with his back to the back of the couch, Spike then lay down facing him and wrapped his arms and legs around his Sentinel.

They lay entwined like that for some time until finally Xander watched as Spike's fangs withdrew and his brow ridges smoothed out into his normal chiseled features. Finally daring to move Xander reached up to run one hand gently down the side of Spike's face. "Alright?" he asked quietly.

"I was so scared" Spike murmured so softly that even Sentinel hearing could barely pick up the words. Xander didn't speak, just cupped his hand along his guide's jaw, trying with all his being to convey support and comfort. He'd never expected to hear Spike admit such a thing.

"I don't know why, I just felt this sense of overwhelming panic. The guide in me was screaming that you were in trouble and wanted to get to you as quickly as possible and the demon desperately wanted to get to you too but knew that there was no way to do it because of the sun." Spike's grip tightened, almost as though he was afraid Xander would disappear if he let go. "It was like the guide and the demon were battling it out inside of me, the guide wanted to get to you regardless, and the demon knowing we couldn't help if we were ash."

They lay quietly for a while before Spike began to talk again. "It only lasted a couple of minutes, although it seemed like forever. Then everything calmed down again but you took so long to come home. Why did it take you so long?"

"I'm sorry" Xander apologised "I had no idea you'd know anything was wrong. I took the knife to the police station and had to answer a few questions." He explained. "I'm so sorry, if I'd known I'd have come straight back."

Eventually Spike appeared to realise that he was basically cuddling Xander on the couch and began to disentangle himself and get to his feet.

"Right, it's getting late, is everything packed." He asked desperately trying to resurrect his normal persona.

Xander respected Spike's need to pull back his control and simply climbed to his feet moving towards the abandoned shopping bags. Looking around he realised just how late it had gotten, his Sentinel vision had adjusted so smoothly with the dimming light that he only now realised that it was almost full dark. "Just the food to pack away" he answered and began quickly packing everything he could away into the cooler. He'd hoped to have time to put the cooler packs into the freezer for a few hours before they left, it was too late for that now. Oh well, if warm sandwiches were the biggest problem they faced on the trip he'd be more than satisfied.


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors Note :** Thank you **AnneWentworth** and **Mistress Arts** for your reviews. Here's the next chapter and the start of the road trip. Please read and review.

Tara looked around the Magic Box at her friends, Buffy was sitting on the counter drumming her heels on the wooden panelling, Giles was pacing in front of the store windows, he'd cleaned his glasses so many times by now that she wouldn't be surprised if the prescription had changed from all the rubbing. And Willow had already checked the directions she'd printed out for Spike and Xander a dozen times at least, now she was trying to read some more of Blair's dissertation to see if she could pick up some last minute tips for her friend before he set off. She must have read that last page at least 6-7 times and hadn't yet seemed to realise she was holding it upside down.

Yes it was fair to say that pretty much everyone in the room was showing signs of stress, in fact only Dawn, who sat quietly reading at the central table, and Tara herself seemed reasonably calm. They'd agreed to meet up here after closing, that was 90 minutes ago now and still no sign of Spike or Xander. Tara was just debating with herself who was going to suffer a stroke first when Giles abruptly stopped his pacing and muttered to himself "about time" walking quickly over to the door and pulling it open to admit Xander and Spike.

Willow jumped up from her seat and rushed over to Xander, "where have you been? What happened?" she confronted her friend.

"Sorry Wills," Xander apologised, "I had a little excitement when I went shopping this afternoon."

"What exactly constitutes 'a little excitement'?" asked Giles noticing that Spike seemed unusually subdued, not taking part in the conversation, just hovering protectively over Xander.

"It was nothing, don't freak out, someone tried to mug me in the car park outside Walmart."

"You were mugged!"

"Oh my"

"Are you hurt?"

"What happened?"

"Who was it!" Even Buffy hopped down off the counter at Xander's announcement. "No-one messes with my friends."

"I'm fine, something scared him off, but he left this great big knife behind when he ran, I couldn't just leave it in the parking lot for kids to find so I took it to the cops."

"And that's what took you so long?" Dawn asked, how long could it take to hand in a knife after all.

"Well yeah, first I had to convince them it wasn't some kind of prank, then they had all sorts of questions that they needed me to answer. You know Sunnydale's finest, they aren't exactly the sharpest knives in the block if you know what I mean.

Spike inwardly cringed at this point, next would come the recital of his not-so-mini breakdown when Xander got back to the apartment, the real reason they were so late. But Xander wasn't saying anything more, he was going to leave it there and let Sunnydale PD take the blame. He felt anew the wonder that this young man was his friend, that as much as Spike might die to protect Xander, Xander was equally ready to protect Spike, even from a pissed off Slayer and Wiccan.

"So," Xander continued rubbing his hands together briskly, "We're all packed and ready to go, do you have some directions for us Willow?"

Willow however wasn't to be put off so easily. "Hang on a minute there buster, what do you mean something scared him off?"

"I don't know, honest, I thought I heard something growling behind me but by the time the guy had run off and I turned around to see what had scared him there was nothing there. It was freaky."

"Hmm," Willow looked thoughtful for a moment before apparently deciding to let it go for now. "OK, well I'll keep reading and if I find out anything I'll give you a ring to let you know. In the meantime here are your directions. I've divided the trip up into three sections, you can stop overnight at Vacaville and Eugene, I've included details of a few motels around those towns that look reasonably cheap and well kept. I haven't booked anything because I didn't know exactly how far you'd get each day. Today's the 15th, I've booked you into the Super 8 in Federal Way from the 18th for one week. It's not far from Cascade, hopefully you won't be close enough to trigger Jim Ellison's territorial imperative, but Spike should be able to get there easy enough to try to talk them into seeing you." As Willow finished speaking she shoved a sheaf of computer print outs into Xander's arms.

He quickly leafed through it all seeing route information, gas station locations, motels, road works, all manner of information that would make the trip run so much smoother.

"Thanks Wills, this will be a great help." Xander handed off the paper to Spike and pulled his oldest friend in for a hug. Releasing the flushed red-head he found Dawn and Tara waiting in turn for their good-bye hugs too which he was only too pleased to deliver. Turning at last to Giles Xander held out his hand to the older man but was surprised when the Englishman pulled him into a hug too before thrusting a large wad of cash into his hand.

"Giles no, this is too much!" exclaimed Xander.

"Take it, please, let me help." Giles was so earnest that Xander could do nothing but nod and briefly hug the older man in return muttering, "I'll bring back the change."

Buffy still stood back by the counter during the good-byes and after a wistful glance in her direction Xander started towards the door. Suddenly a blonde missile barreled into him and he found himself with an armful of sniffling slayer. He only remained on his feet thanks to Spike's quick support.

After a moment Buffy pulled away, "I'm sorry Xander, I really hope Blair can help you." And she pulled back to stand with Willow, Tara and Dawn as they waved goodbye whilst Xander and Spike left the shop and climbed into Xander's car for the long drive to Cascade.

Spike was driving as they left Sunnydale heading North for Cascade. At first Xander simply enjoyed the peace of the night-time drive but after a while he turned to Spike who had been very quiet ever since they'd left the apartment. Swiftly Xander decided that they needed to get whatever was bothering him cleared up as soon as possible. As little as Spike wanted to spend three days in the car with Xander on a sugar high, did Xander want to spend three days in the car with a silent and moody vampire.

"What's up Spike?" He asked casually.

"Spike?" Xander had to ask again before the vampire realised he was being spoken to.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"I was asking what's up, you've been really quiet ever since we left the apartment." Xander clarified his question.

"Sorry, I was just thinking," and his words trailed off again in thought. Xander was really beginning to worry now, while Spike didn't babble on like Willow or Xander himself regularly did, it wasn't normally as hard as this to get a straight answer out of the vampire, this was like pulling teeth.

"It's just, back there, you didn't tell them the real reason we were so late."

"Huh?" Xander wasn't quite sure where this was going, it certainly wasn't anything he'd expected to hear.

"You didn't tell them about my little freak-out back at the apartment, we'd have been on time if I hadn't flipped out like that."

"Ah that, you mean over-protective guide meets over-protective vampire in a battle to ensure the safety of their Sentinel?" Xander summed it all up quite nicely he thought. Spike just shot him a quick grin, trust Xander to try to pass everything off as a joke, but Spike really wanted to know why he hadn't said anything more to his friends.

"Yeah that, why didn't you tell them all the gory details, I'm sure they'd love to hear about the big bad in a crazy panic over the health of a Scooby."

"It was none of their business." Xander answered shortly, he felt somewhat hurt that apparently Spike still didn't trust him enough to believe that he wouldn't use his concern to get cheap laughs from the others. Especially after all they had been through together since the whole Sentinel thing came to light.

They were now about an hour into the trip and the situation was reversed from that at the outset. Now Xander sat staring tense and unseeing out of the window wondering just where he had gone wrong and how he could prove to Spike that they were in this together and he would die before allowing anyone to hurt his guide.

Spike immediately realised he'd said something to upset Xander, he'd been an intelligent man after all and being turned hadn't changed that. Thinking back over the last few minutes of the conversation he quickly came to the realisation that he was an idiot. After all that had passed between them the last few days, both in words and actions, he'd jumped to the immediate conclusion that Xander would throw him to the wolves for a quick laugh from his friends. This new Sentinel Xander wasn't like that, thinking about it he wasn't sure he ever had been. Of course he used humour as a shield, always had done, but he was never cruel about it, certainly not with those he cared about and Spike was quickly coming to the belief that Xander cared about him. He wasn't sure if it was just a Sentinel Guide thing or if it could be something more, still he'd give it time and see where it all led in the end. For now he needed to apologise and clear the air.

"I'm sorry."

"What for?" Xander's response was short, his tone harsh.

"For thinking, even for a moment that you might use me for a cheap laugh or to try to get in good with the Scoobies again."

"I'm just trying to figure out what I can possibly do to convince you that I genuinely want us to be friends. Even putting aside the Sentinel Guide thing, I like spending time with you."

If Spike's heart were still beating then he knew it would have sped up at that last admission from Xander. Still he clenched down hard on the elation bubbling up inside of him. Friendship was the name of the game for now and he had to focus on getting that right before anything else could follow.

"I really am sorry. I don't know why I even thought that, it's just that sometimes I get... I don't know..." Spike's voice trailed off.

Xander clamped his facial muscles into neutrality, fighting to stop the grin that wanted to spread across his features. He was getting pretty good at reading between the lines when it came to vamp speak. He was pretty sure that Spike had been this close to admitting to insecurities. He'd struggled so much with his own that it was hard to imagine someone as strong and confident as Spike having the same issues.

Finally Xander felt he could speak without the grin being too obvious in his tone. "It's OK, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have taken offence like that. I think we're actually doing pretty well so far, we just need to keep talking."

Spike nodded and with tranquillity restored to both men they continued their drive north through the depth of the California night.

It was several hours later while Xander was finishing up an early morning snack of sandwiches and juice that Spike pointed out the road sign. They were about half an hour from Vacaville, it was time to think about where they were going to stop for the day. Pulling out the sheaf of papers provided by Willow he shuffled through them for a few minutes before pulling out one sheet.

"How about the Motel 6? It's reasonably cheap, the reviews are good and it's not far from the Interstate" he finally suggested.

"Sounds good, where is it?"

"We need to take exit 56, left on Orange Drive and then right on Lawrence Drive."

"OK, that sounds fairly straight forward, this car of yours is comfortable enough but I don't know about you but I could definitely do with a chance to stretch my legs."

Xander was suddenly hit with a feeling of intense guilt as he realised that Spike had been sat behind the wheel for the last 7 hours without a break. "Are you alright, I never thought, we could have stopped for a break half way here, let you get the kinks out of your spine."

"And what would you know about my kinks?" Spike asked with a sly look causing Xander's mouth to drop open in shock followed swiftly by a sidelong glance at the laughing vampire.

Xander Hmmphed in mock protest but inside he felt good that they'd gotten past the tenseness of the early drive and seemed to be settling back into the easy-going camaraderie that they'd developed since Spike had found him in that cemetery less than a week ago.

It wasn't much later that they were climbing out of the car in the Motel 6 parking lot and Xander heard the audible crack as Spike placed both thumbs in the small of his back and stretched.

"Better?" He asked, Spike nodded and Xander continued "I'll head in and get us a room if you want to stretch your legs out here for a minute."

Spike was just getting the last of the bags out of the car as Xander came back with the key to a twin room. "This way," he called "do you want me to carry anything?"

"Nah," Spike shook his head and settling the bags over his shoulders, one cooler in each hand he followed Xander towards the room.

As they got to room 115 on the ground floor Xander swiped the keycard and pushed open the door to a spacious room with two double beds, a small kitchenette and a door off to the side which presumably led to a bathroom. Moving into the room Xander checked the door and verified that it was indeed a small bathroom with a shower, toilet and sink. Spike dropped the bags between the beds and headed into the kitchen area to start stashing their food in the small fridge.

"Do you want to take the shower first?" Xander asked, Spike just grabbed up his bag and headed for the small bathroom. Xander left alone in the room started searching through one of the remaining bags. Eventually he pulled out several large pieces of blackout cloth and a large roll of double sided tape. Soon he was busy taping the cloth tightly over the windows with two of the largest pieces serving as curtains over the main door and the bathroom door. Just as Xander was surveying his work, determining that the room was completely light proof, Spike opened the door and stepped into the enveloping fabric.

"What the hell!"

"Oops, sorry." Xander rushed forward to help Spike extricate himself from the curtain.

"Wow, is this all for me?" he asked, staring around the completely blacked out room.

"Well, I didn't want to take any chances, hotel curtains are not made of the thickest cloth you know." Xander looked defiant as if expecting an argument from Spike.

"Thanks."

The simple reply left Xander confounded and he just picked up his own bag and made his way into the bathroom throwing a quick "you're welcome" over his shoulder as the curtain swished down behind him.

When Xander returned he found Spike sprawled fast asleep across one of the beds, reluctant to disturb the sleeping vampire he crawled under the covers of the other bed and flicking off the light was soon sleeping soundly.

It was several hours later when Xander awoke to the familiar feeling of Spike lying against his back.

"Missed the warmth did you?" he teased as he opened his eyes, only to realise that Spike was still sleeping on the other bed. Xander's eyes opened wide at the sight of the vampire, he could definitely feel the heavy weight of someone lying behind him on the bed. Just as he thought this couldn't get any worse he saw a shape rear up on the far side of Spike's bed and suddenly he was looking into the eyes of a huge white tiger as it hopped up onto the bed to lie down behind Spike. Terrified Xander started to slowly turn his head wanting to see what was behind him, but also desperately trying not to frighten whatever it was. He quickly found himself face to face with a large spotted hyena. As he stared in shock the animal yawned widely showing off several very dangerous looking teeth and giving Xander a blast of highly unpleasant hyena breath. Unable to control himself any longer Xander scrabbled quickly off the bed landing in a heap on the floor with a yelp.

Xander lay very still waiting for one of the predators on the beds above to leap on him. When nothing happened immediately he breathed a massive sigh of relief, he'd been dreaming after all. Thinking how glad he was that Spike was still asleep and hadn't seen him making a fool of himself he sat up only to see that the massive hyena was still laid out on his bed and appeared to be smirking at him. Well he thought, I guess that's why they call it a laughing hyena.

Deciding that if the hyena hadn't attacked by now it probably wouldn't, at least not immediately, he slowly turned to check the other bed and saw that the white tiger was still there peering curiously at him over Spike's sleeping form. Reaching up slowly so as not to alarm the wild animals currently infesting their hotel room he gently tugged on Spike's forearm, trying to wake the sleeping vampire.

Spike's only reaction was to briefly shake off the annoying grip on his arm and settle back to sleep. Trying again Xander shook a little harder hissing "Spike, wake up!" This time some of his urgency must have gotten through and Spike's eyes popped open. A confused expression crossed the vampire's face as he focussed on Xander sat on the floor between the two beds.

"What are you doing down there?" he asked as he propped himself up on one elbow, running the other hand through his already sleep mussed hair.

"Slowly turn around and look behind you." Xander instructed.

Spike suddenly seemed to realise that although he was speaking to the only other legitimate inmate of the room there was indeed a warm heavy presence behind him. Instinctively he whipped his head around, ignoring Xander's advice to go slow, and found himself face to face with a tiger. One rather high pitched yelp and a mad scramble later found Spike on the floor with Xander as they both stared up at the rather large shaggy head of the tiger on Spike's bed.

"What! where did that come from?" Spike spluttered angrily.

"Just take a look on my bed." Xander advised him.

Tearing his eyes away from the massive tiger on his own bed he turned to see another animal occupying the other bed.

"Is that..?" he was very confused by this point.

"Yes, it's a hyena." Xander confirmed. "I don't know what's going on but so far they seem perfectly happy to just lie there and hog the beds."

At Xander's words the hyena heaved itself to it's feet causing the bed springs to creak ominously and turning around hopped down off the foot of the bed and moved across to hop back up beside the tiger on the other bed.

Exchanging a puzzled look with Xander Spike spoke first, "it almost looks like it understood you."

"Do you think it's offering us the other bed?"

"Looks like it."

Very cautiously the two men climbed slowly to their feet, keeping an eye on the animals at all times, and settled themselves on the now empty bed.

"This is weird." Xander broke the silence, wary of falling asleep with two large carnivores in the room.

"Ya think." Spike shot back at him. Now that the adrenaline rush caused by the initial shock of finding himself nose to nose with a predator just as dangerous as he was himself was beginning to fade Spike was beginning to add two and two together.

"You said that you heard growling when the mugger turned and ran yesterday?"

"Yeah." Xander sounded questioning, unsure where this was leading.

"What if it was these two?"

"Or even just one of them. Wow, that would explain his change of heart. But why didn't anyone else see anything?"

"Maybe they're not entirely..." Spike paused for a moment "corporeal."

"They sure smell..." Xander paused too "corporeal."

"Willow looked like she had an idea what the growling might have been. So maybe it's Sentinel related. Is there anything in what you've read so far of that dissertation that might explain any of this?"

Xander was quiet as he thought for a minute. "Maybe, I haven't read the section yet but when I skimmed the content list there was a chapter on spirit guides." Xander's voice trailed off and they both stared in wonder across at the animals snuggled together on the opposite bed, their posture almost exactly mimicking that of Spike and Xander.

"Wow." Both men breathed the word in perfect synchronicity.

As they watched they could almost believe that a look of satisfaction crossed the faces of the two predators sharing their hotel room, pleased that their humans had worked it out. Slowly the two animals settled in to sleep and not long after the human and vampire followed them.

**Author's Note :** there you go, chapter seven, Please read and review.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note :** Thank you **emw314** for your review, I glad you're enjoying the story. As for the rest of you, **get reviewing!**

Xander awoke to the feel of a cool vampire body pressed up against his back, it felt very pleasant in the overheated hotel room. He lay still for a few moments, revelling in the feel of awakening in Spike's arms once again before remembering the strange goings on earlier that day. Lying very still he slowly cracked his eyelids open and peered across to the other bed. Thankfully it was empty and Xander wondered for a moment if the whole thing had been some kind of weird dream. Then he felt Spike raise himself up onto one elbow to look across and check the other bed for uninvited occupants.

"They're gone" he confirmed and as the vampire moved to get up he swung his own legs over the side of the bed and sat up facing the now animal free bed opposite. Standing he gazed down at the rumpled covers on the bed, he could clearly see that two large shapes had been laid out on the bed but there was nothing else to show that their visitors had been real. He ran his hand over the covers in wonder, he couldn't enter Willow and Tara's place without picking up hair from Miss Kitty, but here they'd had two large predators sleep the day away on this bed without so much as a single shed hair.

He turned to Spike, "not a trace."

"Well, I'll say this, life is never dull with you around pet."

Xander just shrugged and started rummaging around in his bag before straightening up again with the dissertation in his hand. Soon Xander was curled up against the headboard of the bed with Spike beside him looking over his shoulder as he shuffled through the pages searching for the chapter on spirit guides. He soon found the necessary page and they settled down together in companionable silence to read about their visitors.

"So they appear in order to warn of danger." Spike looked up from reading first.

Xander continued reading for a short while until reaching the end of the chapter. "I'm guessing it was the hyena in the parking lot that scared off the mugger."

"Looks like it, but why did they appear today?"

"Maybe they just wanted to introduce themselves, it seemed like a pretty relaxed visit."

Spike just stared at him, "you call that relaxed?"

"Well on their part, yes."

"Hmm." Spike wondered if he would ever understand the workings of the scooby mind.

"We should call Willow and tell her all about this."

Spike agreed, "sure, we've got about an hour to kill until sunset anyway." He spoke without looking at his watch and Xander, checking his own watch, was amazed once more at the vampire's sensitivity to the world around him.

Sitting on the edge of one bed he gestured Spike over and dialled the Magic Box putting the phone on speaker before placing it on the bedside cabinet where they could both hear and take part in the conversation.

"Magic Box, how can I help you." They heard Giles' cultured tones as the Englishman answered the ringing phone.

"Hi Giles, it's Xander and Spike, is Willow around?"

"She is, hold on a moment." They heard the muffled sound of Giles calling across the shop to Willow before his voice returned. "Do you mind if I put you on speaker."

"No problem, we've got it on speaker at this end."

They heard a change in the carrier signal from the phone as Giles switched to speaker mode and then a click as the handset was replaced.

"Xander, Spike, how are you both." Willow's excited voice rang around the hotel room, sounding slightly out of breath, she'd obviously run across the shop floor in her eagerness to speak to them.

"We're fine Red." Spike now took a part in the conversation, pleased to be included in Willow's greeting. "Something strange happened earlier today, we thought we should let you know about it."

"Willow, have you read chapter 10 of the dissertation yet?" Xander asked

They heard papers rustling at the other end for a long moment before they heard Willow squeal with excitement.

"Spirit Guides, is that what scared off your mugger Xander?"

"We think so, well probably just mine, although they both showed up in the hotel room this morning." Anything more Xander might have said was drowned out by the excited shriek down the phone line.

"Yes!"

"Careful Willow" Xander and Spike both flinched as sensitive hearing objected to the high pitched sound of girlish glee.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't hurt you did I." Willow was obviously trying to control her excitement in order to avoid injuring vampire or Sentinel hearing.

"No, we're fine, don't worry about it."

"OK, so you said both, so you each have a spirit guide?"

"Yes," Xander kept to a single syllable answer knowing how much it must be driving Willow crazy to have to wait for the information. Just a small payback for his ringing eardrums.

"OK Mister, give, what animals are they?" Willow knew just what game Xander was playing and was not averse to demanding the information she wanted.

"Spike's is a white tiger." Xander still held back, knowing just how loud Willow's reaction to his spirit guide was likely to be.

"That is so cool, congratulations Spike."

"Thanks Red."

"And what about yours Xander?"

Xander put his fingers in his ears and gestured for Spike to do the same. Confused Spike decided to follow Xander's lead and did as instructed.

"Mine's a hyena." Xander barely got the words out before they heard Willow's shocked squeal even through their plugged ears.

"XANDER!"

"Calm down Willow, it was almost inevitable if we'd thought about it."

"Can someone explain to the uninitiated what a spirit guide is?" Dawn asked, sounding more than a little put out at being left out of the conversation.

"Sorry Nibblet." Spike spoke up assuming it was now safe to remove his fingers from his ears, so undignified, "it's a Sentinel thing, they're spirit animals, they look, sound, smell real but after they've gone there's no trace left, no shed hair or anything. They apparently appear as a warning of danger, but we think they were just introducing themselves today."

"So, let me get this straight, a tiger and a hyena appeared in your hotel room and you didn't run screaming down the street, I think you boys need to work on your survival instincts." Despite her words Dawn sounded vaguely amused.

"Hey, what can I say Dawnie, Hellmouth born and raised."

"Oy, vampire here, wild animals, a lot less scary than sunlight." Spike spoke up in his own defence.

"Yes, yes, well thank you for keeping us apprised of the situation, we'll let you get on your way. Drive carefully." As Giles brought the call to a close Spike and Xander could hear Willow, Dawn and Tara all calling out their own farewells and good wishes for the nights driving ahead of them. It seemed that even after Buffy's softening of the night before she was still somewhat angry at them both and her voice was not heard bolstering those of her friends.

After closing the call Xander and Spike worked quickly to tear down the makeshift blackout curtains and to get all their belongings packed away again before finally grabbing a quick meal, sandwiches for Xander and blood for Spike, they quickly emptied the remaining contents of the small fridge into the coolers, loaded the car and headed off, back on the road to Cascade.

The drive was quiet as they headed out of Vacaville and they were soon on the I-505 heading north. Xander was just thinking that maybe Willow's reaction to his spirit guide had been put down to the usual Willow weirdness when Spike spoke and dashed all his hopes.

"So, what's the significance of the hyena?"

"Ahh, you noticed that then." Xander sounded slightly sheepish, he should have known he'd never get one over on the hyper-observant vampire at his side.

"You could say that, yeah." Spike had put his finger in his ear and comically waggled it as though trying to clear a ringing eardrum.

"Come on Pet, the highlight of the next 470 miles will be merging from the I-505 to the I-5, sounds like you've got an interesting tale to liven the journey."

"OK, but you have to promise not to laugh." Xander was reluctant to open himself up to ridicule, but after the conversation during the previous nights drive he knew he had to demonstrate how deeply he truly trusted Spike.

"Well, I can make that promise, but do you really think I'll be able to keep it." Spike responded with total honesty.

"Probably not." Xander admitted before launching into the tale.

"It was the year, before you came to Sunnydale. The school ran a field trip to the zoo, the hyena pens were off limits, some kind of quarantine. We saw the class mean kids ducking under the tape and taking Lance with them."

At Spike's questioning look Xander clarified.

"Lance, he was this kind of nerdy guy, the mean kids, there were four of them, Kyle was the leader, can't even remember the other ones names. Well anyway, they used to pick on everyone, but Lance was one of their favourite targets. I went to go try and help, Buffy and Willow were about to follow when the zoo keeper stopped them. I got to the cage just in time to see Kyle and his friends trying to feed Lance to the hyenas. I pulled him away and pushed him towards the exit from the exhibit, we heard the hyena growl and then her eyes flashed green and..." Xander paused in his recital, lost momentarily reliving the feeling of that long ago day.

"It was the strangest thing. One moment everything was fine, next I wasn't in full control of my body."

"You were possessed? I've heard stories, Primals in Africa taking on the attributes of wild predators. But they need all kinds of rituals."

"Yeah, the zoo keeper, he was a Primal, he had this mystical symbol painted out on the floor of the viewing area. You can imagine how pissed he was, a group of teenagers had managed to do what he couldn't."

"So what happened, you obviously managed to get un-possessed again."

"Un-possessed, is that even a word."

"Quit stalling and make with the story."

"I was possessed, I started running with Kyle and his crowd, I was the alpha in our pack though, they all deferred to me. I was a real jerk, I was really mean to Willow, I can't believe she ever forgave me, and I kept sniffing Buffy's hair."

"You sniffed Buffy and lived!" Spike interrupted, trying and failing to control the laughter bubbling up inside him.

"It wasn't funny." Xander sounded somewhat cross, but had to see the funny side of it. "Well actually that part was, but what happened next wasn't."

"And?"

"We ate Herbert."

Suddenly all inclination to laugh left Spike. "Herbert?"

"Principal Flutie bought him as a mascot for the football team, Go Razorbacks! He was just a piglet, I'd seen Buffy holding him earlier in the day. He freaked out when he saw me, I guess it's true what they say, animals can sense evil."

Spike began to think he should change the subject, he could see how much this was affecting Xander and was wishing he hadn't pushed.

"Principal Flutie, I don't think I met him."

"No, you wouldn't have."

At Xander's flat tone Spike realised that maybe his attempt to change the subject hadn't been entirely successful.

Seeing no way out that wouldn't leave a giant elephant in the room he had to ask. "What happened to him?"

"They ate him."

Spike winced, he'd been pretty sure what was coming but having it confirmed was still a shock.

"Just them, you didn't..." Spike trailed off, there was no polite way to ask the question but he needed to know the answer.

"No, Kyle and his lot were the prime suspects in Herbert's death, Principal Flutie caught up with them and hauled them off to his office. No while they ate him I was in Herbert's room trying to rape Buffy."

Now Spike was really wishing he'd kept his trap shut, Xander had clearly not wanted to talk about this and it was pretty obvious why.

"Jesus Xander, what happened."

"She hit me with a desk and locked me up in the book cage in the library. Willow stayed to guard me while Buffy and Giles went to speak to the zoo keeper. They didn't know that although hyenas may separate to sleep off a heavy meal when they wake up they will track down any missing pack member."

Spike was silent, there was nothing he could say, he hung his head briefly before looking up again to watch the silent road ahead. Much as he wanted never to have started this conversation he could see that Xander seemed to be finding the experience to be a cathartic one. If he could help his Sentinel, even just by listening to this tale, then he'd do it and deal with the nightmares later.

"Buffy and Giles got back just in time to save Willow, they hatched this plot to lead us back to the hyena pen and pull off a reverse possession with the zoo keepers help. What they didn't know was that he wanted what we had, the hyena spirit. He got it too."

"OK, that sounds bad."

"Not really, he only had it for about 30 seconds, then Buffy drop kicked him over the fence into the hyena enclosure and they dealt with him."

"And so Buffy and Willow forgave you." Spike began to feel that he was on safer ground again.

"Yeah, you see I told them that I couldn't remember any of it."

Spike looked puzzled "I haven't heard that about possession."

"No, Giles hadn't either." Xander's sheepish tone made his meaning clear.

"Oops."

"Yes, but he understood."

"He kept your secret for you then."

"Yeah."

Xander fell silent and after the emotionally charged revelations of the conversation Spike felt that he had every right to do so. They drove on in silence through the night each thinking on the events Xander had described. Spike thought he could begin to see where the commanding air that Xander sometimes portrayed when the chips were down really came from.

"So, any significance to the white tiger?" After the comfortable silence of the previous 50 miles or so Spike was pulled from his musing by Xander's question.

"None that I'm aware of." He replied carefully, there was something in Xander's manner that convinced Spike he was setting himself up for some kind of fall.

"Ahh, just the peroxide fixation then." And there it was. Still he owed the kid one after forcing him to talk about the hyena thing.

"Ha Pet, very funny."

"Yeah, I thought so."

That ended the revelations for that nights drive and for the next few hours they drove in mostly silence broken only by light conversation on the route or the occasional sights out of the car windows. Eventually the road signs showed that they were approaching Eugene and mimicking his actions of the previous night Xander started shuffling through the sheaf of notes provided by Willow to look for a convenient Motel for them to stay in through the daylight hours.

Spotting a Motel 6 within easy reach of the interstate Xander suggested that as a suitable stopping place and Spike agreed. After all the invasion of their spirit guides into the room could hardly be blamed on the Motel management. Pretty soon they were off the interstate and pulling into the parking lot of the Motel. It was a much more rural area than the last place they'd stayed in but noisier due to the close proximity to the Pacific Highway.

Stepping out of the car Spike expressed his concerns.

"Are you going to be alright here?" He asked "the traffic noise is quite loud, Sentinel hearing might find it a bit much."

Xander listened for a moment, "I think it'll be OK, it should be quieter in the rooms, I'll try to get something round the back."

Heading off to see about a room he turned a called back to Spike with a cocky grin "We could always try out that thing with the dials since you'll be here to supervise."

Spike just waved him off and started unloading the car, without a beating heart vampiric circulation just wasn't what it had been in life and he was glad to be moving around and not cooped up in the car anymore. By the time Xander returned he had everything unloaded and was ready to set off to the room which Xander had managed to get tucked away around the back of the Motel. With the whole bulk of the building there to block traffic noise Xander was confident of getting a good days sleep.

They soon found themselves in a room which might have been a carbon copy of the one they where they had spent the previous day. This time Spike helped Xander to set up the blackout curtains and after they had each enjoyed a nice hot shower they quickly settled down to sleep. On the off-chance of another visit from their spirit guides they decided to again share one of the beds, after all the beds were plenty big enough and they both found they enjoyed the physical presence of another body even if it was entirely platonic.

It was several hours later that Xander was woken by the strong feeling that they were no longer alone in the room. Carefully opening his eyes he saw that they had indeed been joined once more by the hyena and the white tiger. Over the course of the drive from Vacaville he had managed to convince himself that he had exaggerated the size of the two animals. Looking at them now laid out once again on the bed opposite, comfortable but alert, he realised that they were in fact just as massive as he remembered them, maybe more so.

Feeling oddly comforted by the animals presence Xander soon drifted back off to sleep, warm and safe in the embrace of his vampiric guide, watched over by his hyena and Spike's tiger.

When Xander next awoke it was to a hand roughly shaking his shoulder. Instantly coming to full alertness he quickly sat up and scanned the room before finally turning to Spike.

"Something's up Pet." Spike nodded towards the two spirit animals who were no longer resting on the bed but were instead prowling in front of the hotel room door. As Xander watched they each prowled back and forth, just a few steps each way, there was no room for more. Xander also realised he could hear the deep rumbling sound of growling coming from both animals as they snarled at the door.

"Looks like this one isn't just a social call." Xander reached for the long, narrow and very heavy bag that they had hoped not to need on this trip but had kept close while they slept anyway. Pulling it up on to the bed and placing it between himself and Spike he swiftly pulled open the zip and revealed a small arsenal of weapons.

"Hallelujah!" breathed Spike "I like the way you think" and they both started rummaging through the bag looking for their favourite weapons before hurriedly dressing ready to face whatever it was that had their spirit guides spooked.

Not knowing what they were going to be facing Xander decided on a couple of stakes stuffed into the back of the waistband of his jeans, a large hunting knife strapped in a holster on his ankle, several vials of holy water stowed in pockets about his person, a short sword sheathed at his left hip and a mace gripped securely in his right hand.

Spike was similarly equipped with a heavy broadsword hanging at his side and a much larger mace swinging easily from his hand. Surveying them both Xander felt that they had all the options covered as much as was possible with the limited resources available to them.

Suddenly the animals stopped prowling and were now starring at the door side by side as their growling became significantly louder. Swiftly Xander and Spike got into position, side by side behind their respective spirit animals. They didn't have long to wait before a loud thud was heard against the door of the room swiftly followed by another thud and the sound of splintering wood as the door was brutally kicked in and four thugs briefly tangled with the blackout curtain before pouring in and stopping short as they saw the occupants of the room. Instead of the cowering tourists they were expecting to see they were confronted with two heavily armed men and apparently two large predators.

Spike sniffed the air, almost gagging on the unwashed stink of the men in the room before muttering to Xander "they're human, and on drugs of some kind."

Xander inwardly groaned at the realisation that this could turn out very badly indeed. He quickly stepped forward and a little to the right moving to cover the chipped vampire behind him. Spike reluctantly stepped back allowing Xander to cover him. It went against all his instincts which screamed at him that he should be the defender not the defended.

"Hi guys," Xander cheerfully greeted their guests, carefully ignoring the knives being wielded by three of their attackers and the large and old-fashioned revolver wielded by the apparent leader of the group.

The leader of the group, now dubbed Gun-guy by Xander, looked confused, at first he starred in shock at the hyena and tiger growling fiercely at him before deciding it had to be a hallucination and transferring his attention to the men before him. Seeing the blond man step back he felt emboldened, at least one of these jerks was acting as expected, showing fear and respect for him and his gang, now he just had to make the brown haired jerk aware of the seriousness of his situation. Unfortunately Gun-guy had no idea just how badly his altered perceptions had misread the situation, still Xander would soon put him right.

"Was there something we could help you with?" Asked Xander, for all the world as if a neighbour had popped around to borrow a cup of sugar instead of four thugs breaking into the room wielding guns and knives.

"Yeah, give us all your money fag!" Snarled gun-guy.

"I'm sorry but I think you must have the wrong room." Gun-guy was feeling more and more confused every time Xander spoke, he just wasn't following the script. Didn't he know that when armed men broke into your hotel room you were supposed to cower in the corner and offer up all your possessions if only they'd spare your life, not engage in pleasant conversation.

"What do you mean, the wrong room? Tom on reception told us there were a couple of rich pretty boy fags in room 109, asked 'specially for a quiet room 'round the back. What was it, need somewhere quiet to get it on? Disgusting perverts."

"Ahh, good old Tom, well unfortunately he's wrong on all three counts tonight, we're not gay, we're not rich and we're definitely not pretty boys."

This was not going according to plan, Gun-guy decided it was time to take back control of the situation and raising his gun and his voice shouted "Fuck this! Give us your cash!"

"NO!" The sudden change in Xander's attitude, from quiet and conversational to a harsh shout put the attackers even more off their stride.

"Fuck this!" exclaimed Gun-guy again and he stepped forward, finger curling around the trigger of the old gun in his hand, the barrel aimed squarely at the centre of Xander's forehead. Unfortunately for him this put his arm in easy reach of the large hyena at his feet, he'd dismissed the animal as a hallucination and was about to find out just how wrong he was. Twisting it's body the hyena reared up and bit down hard on Gun-guy's forearm dragging it down so that the gun was aimed safely at the floor. Xander's mace arm was already in motion as Guy-guy switched from talk to fight and he brought the mace down squarely on his attackers forearm, just above the hyena's hold. The bone snapped with a satisfying crunch, the gun dropped to the floor and as the hyena released his mangled arm Gun-guy staggered backwards out of the fight. One down, three to go.

Seeing the knife wielders hesitate wondering if they really had seen a hallucinatory hyena attack their leader Xander let the mace swing carry on round, using it's weight behind him to counterbalance as his left leg snapped out in a high side kick to the first knife guy's solar plexus knocking him backwards into the wall where he struggled to draw breath back into his lungs. The momentary respite was over now and the second knife guy stepped forward planning to attack while Xander was off balance, unfortunately for him Xander had never felt more in control of himself and as he brought his foot back down to the ground his mace arm completed it's 360 degree circle and was in perfect position to bring it back down and break second knife guy's arm in exactly the same way as he had done Gun-guys.

Seeing that the only attacker still standing was hanging back Xander waited to see if he would show a little more sense than his friends. Unfortunately he didn't, unfortunately for the remaining attacker that is, he raised his knife and charged in only to be met by the vicious swipe of a tigers paw, claws fully extended, across his right cheek. The force of the blow sent him spinning around to fall amongst his friends, hands clutched to the tatters of his face as he screamed while trying to stem the blood flow with his bare hands.

Neither Spike nor Xander noticed this however, they were more concerned about the tiger which had let out a massive roar and flinched back in sudden pain as soon as his claws made contact with the attackers face. Confident that all their attackers were now out of commission Spike and Xander rushed forward to crouch at the tigers side. Suddenly realising that they were rushing towards a large predator in extreme pain Spike put out his arm to stop Xander's headlong rush. He then reached out tentatively to stroke the tiger's head moving slowly and ensuring his hand remained in the animals field of vision at all times. Under Spike's gentle hand the tiger subsided and soon lay quiescent under the stroking hand.

"Jesus Spike, you don't think..." Xander trailed off.

"He's chipped." Spike sounded horrified as he voiced what they were both thinking.

"Shit!"

Spike thought that Xander had summed it up nicely, there was nothing more to add.

They sat quietly for a few minutes, the hyena coming over to check that all was well with the tiger before Xander's attention was drawn back to the groaning heap of broken humanity littering their hotel room floor. "What are we going to do about them?" He asked.

Before Spike had a chance to answer they heard the wail of police sirens in the distance, it was quickly obvious that the sirens were getting closer. "Looks like that's been taken out of our hands." Spike answered, "but what about..." he turned to gesture to the two spirit animals but there was nothing but empty carpet. "Never mind."

Deciding that any attempt to clean up beyond stowing the swords, stakes and holy water back in the bag they came from, could be misconstrued they decided to try to bluff their way out of the situation. Spike retreated to stand at the back of the room out of reach of any sunlight that might make it's way around the black out curtain as Xander pushed the cloth to one side and stood at the doorway to meet the police officers.

Seeing two police cars come screaming around the side of the building to pull up in a cloud of dust front of their room Xander adopted his most harmless, goofy teenager look and waved the officers inside.

"Excuse me Sir, we've received reports of a disturbance in that room." An older police officer addressed Xander, waving his colleagues to keep back and cover him for the moment. The reports mentioned sounds of fighting and several loud screams. This kid hadn't a scratch on him, it was possible he was trying to draw them into a trap.

"Yes officer, a gang broke into our room." Xander stood aside, holding the curtain back to allow the officers entry.

Weapons drawn, held in a two handed grip pointed at the floor two officers moved alertly past Xander into the room, two more remained outside covering the door. Flashing them a quick wave Xander allowed the curtain to drop and went back into the room to find the two officers inside, one covering Spike, the other covering the groaning thugs on the floor.

Holding his arms out to show he wasn't a threat Xander maintained his friendly grin. "Hey, we're the victims here."

"I'm sorry son but you don't look much like a victim to me."

"I guess they picked the wrong guys to attack." Xander lowered his arms slowly as he tried to talk his way out of the situation that they now found themselves in. "We're driving up from Sunnydale, we're supposed to be giving a medieval warfare display in two days, we were just running through a few moves, getting in a bit of practice when these four kicked in the door and started demanding our cash. I think they're on something, they were easily distracted, they told me that Tom on reception had set them on to us."

At the end of Xander's explanation the second officer spoke up, "hey boss, it's Chet Johansson and his buddies, he and Tom were good friends in high school. These four were probably off their heads on PCP."

"That's all very well, but why the blackout curtains?" The older officer was obviously still suspicious.

"It's my friend" Xander gestured towards Spike "he has an allergic condition, sunlight causes extreme burns, that's why we drive by night and sleep over during the day. Motel curtains tend not to be that thick so we prefer not to take any chances."

After looking at Spike a moment both officers lowered their weapons "well, he does look a mite pasty" and Xander breathed a quick sigh of relief.

"OK then, well we'll get this lot out of your way." The officer surveyed the wrecked room, "I'll leave two officers outside the door for you until we can get that door fixed, I'll have a carpenter sent as soon as we can get one over here. Is that OK with you fellas?"

"Of course." Xander agreed, not wanting to antagonise the police officers. "We'd like to be on our way after dark though, if that's OK with you."

"That should be fine, we'll need statements from you both, if we can get those now and get your contact details then there should be no problem with you moving on."

"Thank you officer." Spike echoed Xander's words, he looked on with pride as his Sentinel dealt with the police like a pro. There was no denying it, the boy could think on his feet when necessary.

It was some two hours later that Spike and Xander found themselves alone again. Statements had been given and signed, the carpenter had been, repaired the door and gone, Xander felt that he could have done a better job of it himself but at least they had a door again.

Finally alone Xander looked at Spike and finally allowed himself to crack up laughing.

Spike looked on in confusion, he knew the boy was weird but what was up with him now.

"What's up?" Spike asked when Xander's laughter had calmed down to just mild giggles, but one look at the vampires confused face only set him off again and Spike was beginning to look seriously pissed off when Xander finally began to regain control of himself.

"I'm sorry" he gasped, breathless from the sustained bout of laughter "it's just, we were attacked by a gang on PCP."

"Yeah, what's so funny about that, I thought we were up shit creek. I haven't said it yet but you were amazing Pet."

"Thanks," Xander felt suddenly bashful at the praise from his guide.

"Think about it, every major vamp attack or unexplained death in Sunnydale. If they couldn't be written off as toasting fork accidents then they went down as attacks by gangs on PCP." He stopped there, looking expectantly at Spike.

Understanding instantly flooded Spike's features and in moments the two of them were rolling around on the floor in laughter.

**A/N :** There you are, Chapter 8, now **PLEASE REVIEW**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note : **Thank you to **ObscureEnough, AnneWentworth, prismaticmem **and** Orochi Miho** for your reviews, it's so great to know that the story is appreciated. **ObscureEnough**, I hadn't thought about that, but now you mention it maybe I can do something with it later in the fic, if I do I'll be sure to credit you with the idea.

Chapter Nine

Once they had themselves under control again Spike and Xander packed up the room and prepared to leave. Waiting only for nightfall they left as quickly as possible, anxious in case the local police chief changed his mind and decided to keep them in town.

Half a mile later they were pulling back onto the I-5, heading north once more on the last night of their road trip. They'd been driving in comfortable silence for about 30 minutes when Xander finally voiced the question that he'd been dying to ask

"So, did I really do OK back there?"

It hurt Spike to realise just how starved for praise Xander was, it seemed like every time he did something wrong Buffy, Willow or Giles were only too happy to leap down his throat, but when he did good it passed them by. So now a simple throw away compliment had the boy treasuring it for hours.

"You did better than OK, there were four of them, high on lord knows what, and you kept your calm and took them out one at a time." He stopped talking for a moment, giving the compliment time to sink in before adding. "Of course you might want to be careful with the smart mouth. It worked out well this time but you risk distracting yourself instead of the bad guys."

Xander mulled over Spike's words. "I only took out 3 of them, your tiger got the last one, and I had help from the hyena for the first guy."

"True enough, but the first guy was the one with the gun, no-one's going to hold it against you that you had a little help dealing with him given you were only armed with a mace."

"Maybe, but you heard what that cop said, they were on PCP, aggression through the roof, judgement and coordination through the floor. They weren't that hard to beat."

"That's as may be, but I stand by what I said, you did good, you stayed calm and did what needed to be done. Still if you want to train more when we get back to Sunnydale then I'd be happy to help you with that."

Xander jumped at the offer, "you'd really help me train? Thanks man, I'll hold you to that."

Spike just shook his head, "sure kid, as soon as we get home. Gotta keep my Sentinel in one piece, it's in the Guide handbook."

"Hold on a minute, you get a handbook, that's so not fair."

"Them's the breaks kid."

Xander just laughed and they lapsed back into quiet for the next few miles.

Xander finally broke the silence, "do you really think that the tiger is chipped?"

Spike was about to answer when Xander spoke up again.

"We should really give them names, it sounds off to keep talking about the tiger, and the hyena, they might well have saved our lives tonight, the least we can do is give them names."

"What did you have in mind?" Spike asked. "I'm not using some cheesy Tiger name, Rajah or Sultan."

"Oh, and I was planning on calling the hyena Fido!" Xander injected a large amount of sorrow into his voice, struggling to keep a straight face.

Spike turned to him in shock until he saw the laughter bubbling under that Xander was trying very hard to suppress. "Fido huh? I was thinking he looked more of a Spot."

"She." Xander corrected Spike with a grin. "She's definitely the alpha female. What about Lex?"

"It's nice, short for anything" Spike ended on a questioning tone.

"Yeah, Alexander, well as far as I can figure it she is a representation of my inner animal so it seemed appropriate." Xander answered in a tentative tone, almost as if he was expecting to be laughed at.

"Cool." Was Spike's only response anything more and he wouldn't have been able to hold back the diatribe against those who had ground his boy's self confidence into the dirt for so many years.

Eventually Spike felt that he was calm enough to speak rationally. "I'm thinking Trevor."

"Huh?"

"Trevor the tiger, what do you think?" Spike clarified.

After a moment of silence Spike took a quick look over to the passenger seat to see that Xander was looking somewhat confused. His face was so open that Spike could practically read the question whirling around inside Xander's head, 'Is he seriously planning to name a magnificent white tiger Trevor?'

Enjoying the friendly banter he continued "it's either that or Tony."

As soon as the name left his lips he knew he'd made a mistake, Xander suddenly froze, the feel of comfortable banter between friends disappeared and the temperature in the car seemed to drop several degrees. Not sure where he'd gone wrong Spike tried to explain. "You know Tony the Tiger, Frosties?" This time he saw Xander physically flinch at the name Tony.

It was then that Spike made the connection, Tony was Xander's father's name. Spike hated to think what the man must have done to cause such a reaction simply to the sound of his name. Another item added to the list to be dealt with on their return to Sunnydale. Spike considered trying to change the subject to something less fraught, but given his success or lack thereof over the last couple of days he decided to simply answer Xander's question from earlier in the conversation.

"Going back to your original question, yes it definitely looked like Trevor was reacting to the chip firing."

"OK, that's bad," Xander was quiet for a few moments, obviously thinking things through. "What about if we could get your chip out, do you think that would also get rid of Trevor's chip?"

Spike was stunned to silence, he knew that he and Xander had been getting along really well just lately but suddenly here was Buffy's White Knight talking about getting his chip out as calmly as he might have commented on the weather.

"Moot point innit, already tried everything I could think of, it can't be done." Spike's distress showed through in the lapse back to his tough guy London street rat accent.

Xander realised he was treading on dangerous ground but pressed on, "how long ago was that, 2 - 3 years? Technology moves forward, at a lightening pace sometimes, maybe new techniques have been developed that could help."

If Spike had been stunned before he was truly going into shock now. He'd written off Xander's initial question as simply musing about the possibilities in the full knowledge that it was impossible, but now it seemed that he'd actually thought about this and was truly proposing that they should try to get the chip removed. Suddenly a wave of anger surged through him, there had been no talk of trying to get the chip out when it was only Spike suffering but now that the tiger was in pain, not even a real animal but a spirit guide, Xander was all for removing it. He pulled sharply over onto the verge and threw the door open, climbed out and slammed it shut before striding round to the back of the car and reaching into his duster pocket for cigarettes and a lighter.

Shocked Xander sat still in the passenger seat, it was obvious that Spike was very angry, only Xander wasn't quite sure why. Then he remembered the whole reason that they were on this trip in the first place. Sentinel senses. Watching Spike in the rear view mirror Xander carefully envisioned the dial he had used before to turn down his hearing, this time he very gently turned it in the opposite direction. With his gaze fixed firmly on Spikes mouth he could see the vampire muttering to himself, keeping his eyes locked on those lips he strained to hear the words muttered so quietly as he gingerly edged the dial further up. He started to hear the sound of muttered words, but still not loud enough to understand. Checking the road ahead and behind to make sure that there were no vehicles headed in their direction he turned the dial a little further and now he could hear Spike's words.

"Bloody Scoobies, Spike's in pain, no problem, let him deal, but a poxy animal is hurting and it's all 'Oh we must get that nasty chip out' it's not even real, it's a bloody spirit for pities sake." Xander was inclined to take offence at the high sing-song tone in which Spike apparently tried to mimic a Scooby, presumably Xander since he was the only Scooby for hundreds of miles. Listening closely to Spike's tone of voice Xander realised that under all the anger Spike was truly hurt. Thinking of nothing else other than the need to speak to Spike and to fix this Xander pushed open his car door and stepped out calling softly, "Spike."

Spike was hurting inside but he was also still in the grip of an intense rage, spinning to face Xander he yelled "No, get back in the car!" and slammed his hand down hard on the trunk to make a satisfyingly loud bang.

Unfortunately for Xander he had not thought to turn the dials back down to a more normal position, the sudden noise of Spike's yell and the slam of the vampire's hand on the trunk of the car hit him like a sledgehammer. Confronted with a very angry guide the Sentinel was lost, he flinched back from the noise, reeling against the side of the car. Deep Sentinel instincts were suddenly yelling up from his very core 'No Guide, we've made him angry, No Guide, he'll leave, No Guide.' Just the idea of losing his guide was enough to send all his senses off the chart, his hearing which had tried to shut down at the sudden loud noise now flared up again. The breeze through the leaves of nearby trees sounded like a hurricane, small animals rustling in the undergrowth became as loud as a major earthquake. His other senses all reacted too, the light of distant street lights reached the incandescence of ground zero of a nuclear blast as they seared into his eyes, his clothes felt like sandpaper over every inch of his skin, taste and smell similarly over-reacted and he ended up on his knees, his stomach evicting everything he'd eaten in the last few hours.

Spike stared in horror, his anger fled as he saw his Sentinel basically collapse, vomiting on the side of the road. His first instinct was to run to Xander and try to help, to take him in his arms and help him stand, but as soon as he touched his Sentinel Xander cried out in pain and flinched away from him again. Stepping back he realised that this was more serious than any other episode he'd witnessed so far, deciding to try the same approach as he had used the only other time he had seen Xander looking anywhere near this bad he crouched down and pitching his voice as low as he could possibly make it he spoke Xander's name. "Xander" even as quiet as he had spoken Xander still flinched at the sound. From the way Xander was trying to cover his ears and keep his eyes tight shut, all the while gagging and retching and trying to move as little as possible to prevent his clothes rubbing against his sensitive skin it appeared that all the senses were completely out of control.

Spike was lost, all he'd read so far talked about identifying the sense causing the problem and using the others to pull the Sentinel back and give him back his control, but what did he do when all the senses were flipping out. He decided to try to reduce the sensory overload, there was little he could do at the moment about hearing, sight, touch or smell but maybe he could help with taste a little. Moving quietly round to the drivers side he opened the door of the car and reached in for the bottle of water that the boy had been drinking earlier. Pushing the door gently to he left it partially open, not daring to risk the noise of shutting it fully and headed back to Xander's side. Twisting off the cap of the bottle Spike offered it silently to his Sentinel but Xander was too deeply lost in his own misery to realise that help was available if he could only reach out and take it.

Seeing that this wasn't working Spike poured a little of the water out onto his own hand before reaching out to touch Xander's lips with his damp fingers. The change was instantaneous, Xander stilled, his eyes remained closed and every muscle in his body strained with the tension thrumming though him, he still seemed more animal than human but at least he appeared to be in a lot less distress than he had been a moment ago. Spike re-wetted his fingers and reached forward to touch them to Xander's lips again. This time the lips opened and Spike found himself with Xander suckling gently on his fingertips.

Xander was lost deep in the heart of the Sentinel, trapped in misery both physical, as his body rebelled against him, and mental at the perceived loss of his guide. Suddenly he felt a touch at his mouth, the taste of his guide, the smell of his guide. The guide hadn't left, maybe he wasn't alone after all. The touch had been fleeting but it was enough to quell the Sentinel's panic. Then after a wait that felt like a lifetime the touch came again. This time the Sentinel had time to anticipate the touch through the smell of guide becoming stronger as the hand approached his face. He opened his mouth and gently lipped the fingers as they brushed his skin, filling himself with the taste of guide, the smell of guide.

Spike's first instinct was to pull his hand away but he mastered that impulse and waited. For several minutes they crouched there at the side of the road, sheltered from the view of passing motorists by the body of the car as Spike watched the tension slowly drain out of Xander's body. Finally he decided it would be safe to try another sense and he reached out with his free hand to gently touch his Sentinel on the shoulder. This time Xander did not flinch, instead he relaxed into the touch, seemingly content to have the hand remain there, a firm but gentle pressure tying him more firmly back to his guide. Once he was sure that the hand would not be rejected Spike tried speaking to his Sentinel. "Xander." He called out softly. "Are you in there luv?" he asked and then settled back again to await a reaction.

A slight frown appeared on Xander's brow as he seemed to regain the capacity for rational thought. He pulled back from the fingers at his mouth and Spike let his hand drop. Finally Xander opened his eyes and stared into the crystalline blue eyes of his guide. "Spike."

"Yes Luv." Spike sighed with relief, his anger long forgotten.

"You were angry." Xander questioned, still feeling a little disoriented in the wake of the attack.

"I was, I'm sorry, I should never have shouted at you like that."

"You were angry." Xander stated, no longer a question, Xander was sure of his facts now. "You were right to be angry."

Spike had been on the verge of apologising again when Xander's words surprised him into momentary silence.

"What do you mean Pet?" He asked.

"We should have helped you do something about the chip years ago." Xander sounded exhausted and Spike realised that they were still crouched by the side of the road.

"Hold that thought, yeah." he said as he stood and helped Xander to his feet and into the car. Moving back around to the driver's door he climbed in behind the wheel and turned to face Xander.

"I'm really sorry Spike." Xander started speaking before Spike had a chance to say anything. "We should have looked into getting the chip out a long time ago. The only purpose it serves now is to prevent you from defending yourself from humans.

"Hang on a minute there mate, are you saying you think I'm SAFE! I'm still the Big Bad here you know." After Xander's earlier collapse Spike did his best to remain calm, not wanting to set off another attack, but the way he spat the word Safe made it clear to Xander just how pissed off the vampire was.

"No, I'm not saying you're safe, you're definitely still the Big Bad, but you're not evil. You know how much it would hurt Dawn if you started chowing down on the local population, you'd never put her through that kind of pain." Xander tried to explain his thoughts without angering Spike further.

"Hey, I'm still a soulless monster here, remember, can't be trusted, can't ever be trusted." The hurt behind Spike's words came through so clearly that Xander hung his head in shame as he heard the mean and hurtful things he'd said over the years parroted back to him by the man he'd begun to consider a friend.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" Xander muttered, barely audible as he felt himself drowning in a sea of his own shame. "I should never have said those things to you, after all I've seen I should have known, there are Death Row's all over the country populated by humans with souls, there are human rights atrocities committed every day all over the world by humans with souls, having a soul is no guarantee that a being is good, and not having a soul doesn't guarantee evil. I saw you after Glorificus had you tortured trying to get the key's location, I saw you thrown from the tower trying to defend Dawn and I saw you cry when Buffy fell. You may be the Big Bad but you are a good man and you are one of the strongest people I've ever met. Who else could have survived that chip? Do you think Angelus would have survived if he'd been chipped instead of cursed with a soul? He'd have got himself zapped into a vegetable inside a week, Darla, Dru, I've never met anyone with your strength, your self control. You grow and learn and adapt." Xander's voice faded away as he seemed to run out of steam. He looked up from where his gaze had been fixed on his knees and looked tentatively across to Spike to see the other man staring back at him, mouth hanging open in shock.

Spike just continued to stare, he had no idea what to say in response to Xander's diatribe, he wanted to protest being called a good man, but he found that it felt right to him that Xander should think of him that way. Just when Xander was beginning to think that he had broken the vampire for good Spike finally managed to speak. "You look like crap, kip for a bit. I'll wake you when we get to the hotel." It took Xander a moment to follow what Spike had said, it seemed so disconnected from what had gone before. However the uncharacteristic gruffness of pent-up emotion in Spike's voice did not escape his notice and he simply nodded his head carefully and closed his eyes for a nap. After all he might look like crap but he felt so much worse than that.

It was some two hours later that Spike pulled in to the parking lot of the Super 8 in Federal Way, Xander was still asleep in the passenger seat and Spike was loath to wake him until absolutely necessary. He pulled into a parking space immediately outside of reception and rummaged through the sheaf of paperwork supplied by Willow for the booking details. Finding the pages he needed he got out of the car, pushing the door closed as quietly as possible and headed inside to get them checked in, turning to check on Xander frequently. He soon had the room key in hand and drove round to their room finally having to wake Xander once he had the luggage all unloaded from the car and stacked inside the door of their home away from home for the next week.

Xander woke slowly, he was still groggy as Spike helped him out of the car and into the hotel room, the attack earlier had really taken it out of him and Spike made himself a mental note that they needed to talk about it later. He'd never seen Xander that badly affected by his senses, at least not since the aftermath he'd witnessed in the cemetery back when all this began. He carefully settled Xander into the bed furthest from the door, gently removing jacket, belt and boots. He quietly light-proofed the room then stripped himself for sleep, switched off the light and crawled in behind the sleeping man on the bed.

He'd not thought too much about what Xander had said, up until now he'd been able to push that away with concerns about getting Xander to the hotel and worry about what had caused him to react so badly by the side of the road, but now lying in a comfortable bed with Xander sleeping safely in his arms, now his mind wandered back over everything Xander had said. Spike felt a warm glow curling through his stomach as he dwelt on Xander's words. Truth and sincerity had shone from Xander as he spoke and Spike found it impossible to believe that he had been anything other than completely honest in what he'd said.

If Xander believed all that he had said then Spike could do nothing less than give full consideration to his words. Whenever he'd dreamed about getting rid of the chip his thoughts had always turned to the epic killing spree he'd indulge in. Now though he truly thought about it, could he do that to Dawn, to Giles, to Xander? Dawn had grown to be like a daughter to him, could he really face her with blood on his hands. Giles treated him with the quiet respect of a colleague, acknowledging his extensive knowledge of demons and their languages, could he bear to see that respect replaced with contempt if he gave in to his baser nature. Then there was Xander, Xander who treated him as a friend and as an equal, Xander who believed that Spike was a good man at heart, Xander who Spike might well be falling in love with.

Whoa! Where had that thought come from? Still now was the time for total honesty so Spike took that thought and turned it around in his mind, examining it from all angles and he could find no fault with it. Well, if that wasn't a turn up for the books, the question now was what he was going to do about it. Ruminating on that thought Spike finally drifted off to sleep as outside their room the sun rose above the horizon.

Spike was pulled rudely out of sleep as a sharp elbow slammed into his abdomen. He suddenly found himself with an armful of struggling Sentinel as Xander fought to free himself from the monsters haunting his nightmares. Trying to restrain Xander without injuring him Spike rolled over to pin his Sentinel beneath him. The larger man fought hard but eventually Spike had his arms pinned beside his head, "Xander, wake up pet." He called out trying to break through whatever demons stalked Xander in his sleep. "Wake up Xander, it's just a nightmare." Finally he seemed to get through and Xander's struggles slowed. Eventually Xander lay still and opened his eyes, "is there a reason you're sitting on me?" he asked.

Realising he was still sat on top of Xander, pinning his hands and legs beneath him, Spike quickly released his grip and slid off the younger man to sit on the bed beside him. "You were having a nightmare, I woke up to an elbow to the gut, was just trying to keep you still long enough to wake you up." He explained rubbing a hand over his abused abdomen.

"Sorry," Xander muttered, shifting up to sit against the headboard of the bed.

"Don't worry about it, just a love tap." Spike joked without thinking. "Are you OK, that was a bad attack earlier."

"I'm fine, it was my own fault, it was a stupid thing to do."

Spike just looked confused, "What do you mean, how was it your fault?"

"When you got out of the car," Xander paused knowing that Spike was going to be very angry with him, and rightly so. "I was trying to hear what you were muttering to yourself.

"And?" Spike was beginning to get an inkling of what might have happened.

"I turned up the dials." Xander admitted unable to meet Spike's eyes.

"You forgot to turn them down again when you got out of the car." Spike stated, sure now what had happened.

Xander simply nodded, intently studying the coverlet across his lap.

Spike ruthlessly suppressed his initial impulse to read Xander the riot act for pulling such a stupid stunt. It was obvious that Xander knew just how stupid it had been. Spike doubted he'd do anything like it again any time soon, judging by his subdued air he was still suffering the after effects. "And that's why I don't want you messing with the dials on your own. At least not until we've had a chance to practice with them together." Xander looked up at Spike's words, surprised by the restraint shown by the other man.

"Sorry." He apologised again.

"No problem, do you think you can sleep again now?" Spike asked, it had been an emotionally charged night and Spike knew he'd need more sleep before confronting Jim Ellison that evening, but if Xander couldn't sleep then he'd stay awake with him and help him work through the nightmare.

Xander snuggled back down under the covers, "stay with me" his only response.

Spike smiled, "always" and crawling back under into the bed he wrapped himself around his Sentinel's broad back and settled down to sleep.

It was mid-afternoon by the time Xander awoke again. Feeling the emptiness of the bed behind him he bolted upright, heart pounding as he stared around the room looking for his guide. Immediately he saw Spike sprawled on the couch over the other side of the room and his heart rate immediately began to slow back to a more normal speed.

"Ah-ha the dead wake." Spike commented putting aside the papers he'd been reading and standing to move to the kitchenette area. "You hungry?" He asked.

"Look who's talking." Groused Xander scrubbing his hands through his hair trying to wake himself up.

"Food!" Spike tried again waving a wrapped twinkie in the air.

"Please," Xander almost begged stumbling across the room to grab the offered treat from the vampires hand. Stripping off the wrapper he stuffed it all into his mouth at once before turning and stumbling off in another direction heading for the bathroom muttering "gotta pee."

Half an hour later Xander was showered, dressed and looking much more awake as he rummaged through the small fridge in the room looking for something to eat. "I need real food." Xander wailed plaintively pushing aside the curling sandwiches left from his pre-road trip shopping expedition.

"Why don't you see if anyone delivers?" Spike suggested gesturing to a pile of takeout menus beside the phone on the kitchen counter. "Or if you can wait a couple of hours until the sun goes down we can go out for a walk, try to find a diner, get you a decent meal before I head off to see Jim and Blair."

"Take-away" Xander decided leafing through the pile, "the sooner you can leave tonight the sooner you can be back."

"Are you sure you'll be alright here on your own while I'm gone?" Spike asked concern clear in his tone. "I can stay here tonight and go to see them tomorrow."

Xander looked tempted for a moment but them he seemed to shake it off, "No, this is what we're here for. If you can talk some sense into Ellison then hopefully we can both meet up with them tomorrow."

"If you're sure."

"I'm sure," and Xander brandished a pizza menu at Spike, "you want anything?"

"Nah" Spike waved him off.

Xander ordered a Deluxe feast from the local Domino's, ordering a large as he knew Spike would end up sharing no matter what he'd said to the contrary.

"Do you know how you're going to approach Ellison tonight?" He asked Spike as he settled down to await delivery of his dinner.

"I'm hoping I can catch Ellison when they are both at the apartment. I think he'll be easier to talk to if he knows that Blair is safe." Xander nodded agreeing with Spike's reasoning.

"What are you going to say to him?" Xander asked

"I'm hoping that the Sentinel in him will recognise me as a guide, that should be enough to get me a few minutes of his time. After that we'll see where the conversation takes us."

"You mean you'll make it up as you go along?" Xander clarified.

"Pretty much, yeah." Spike confirmed and Xander just shook his head and chuckled before heading off to answer the door. It was only as he opened the door to see the surprised pizza delivery boy approaching that he realised he'd reacted to the smell of the pizza and not a knock at the door.

Some time later the pizza had been eaten, darkness had fallen and Xander was trying to persuade Spike that it was safe to leave him alone in the hotel room for an hour or two in order to go and speak to Jim Ellison and hopefully Blair Sandburg.

"Spike, just go. You have your mobile, I have my phone, check in with me every hour if you must. I'll be fine." Xander tried one more time to convince Spike that he'd be OK left on his own for the evening.

"OK OK I'll go, but you call me if your senses start to play up, anything at all and I'll turn right around and come back. And don't touch those dials whilst I'm gone." Spike finally allowed Xander to usher him out of the room still ensuring that he got the last word in, "I'll call in every 30 minutes."

Xander watched Spike get into his car and drive away before closing the door and throwing himself down onto one of the beds with the TV remote control in his hand. There was nothing to do now but worry about what would happen when one big bad over protective vampire guide met one big bad over protective ex-ranger Sentinel. Oh how Xander wished he could be a fly on the wall for that one.

As Spike drove away from the hotel he gave himself a quick mental shake-up. Who'd believe that he could be this concerned over the welfare of one of the scoobies, particularly this one, the most annoying of the lot in many people's eyes. Still Xander was a big boy now, perfectly capable of taking care of himself. "Yes, you just keep telling yourself that." Spike muttered to himself as he headed into Cascade as quickly as he could without risking getting pulled over.

30 minutes later Spike was already pulling out his phone and dialling as he drew into an empty parking space outside 852 Prospect. "Everything OK?" He asked as soon as Xander answered the phone, thankful that at least he hadn't zoned yet, so far so good.

"Everything's fine, stop worrying, I've found a Bollywood triple bill, it won't be the same without Buff and Will but it's better than staring at the ceiling. Go do your stuff and get back here in one piece." Spike had no idea what a Bollywood triple bill might be but at least Xander sounded fine. Heaving a sigh of relief Spike put away his phone and headed into the building. The lift was out of order but he could do with working off some of the nervous energy that was thrumming through his body so he took off up the stairs three at a time quickly finding himself at the door of Jim Ellison's loft apartment.

Listening intently Spike could hear the sounds of two people moving about in the apartment as he raised his hand to rap briskly. Inside he heard someone calling out as they headed to the door which was yanked open and he found himself face to face with a young man in his early to mid thirties with long curly hair brandishing a wooden spoon which appeared to be coated in some kind of tomato sauce, "I'm guessing you're not Det. Jim Ellison" he commented with a wry grin.

"Nope, Blair Sandburg, Jim's my partner, come on in." The young man introduced himself, standing back to allow Spike to enter and turning to call out to someone else in the apartment. "Jim, it's for you." Turning back he saw Spike still outside "come in, I gotta go..." and his voice trailed off as he gestured with the spoon towards what was apparently the kitchen.

Spike flinched at the casual invitation to enter, even if he wasn't aware of vampires and the other things that go bump in the night, there were plenty of other reasons not to invite in every Tom, Dick and Harry who turned up on your doorstep. He stepped just inside the door and saw a taller, older man whose close cropped hair screamed military approaching him. He waited until the man, presumably Jim, reached him before holding out his hand and introducing himself. "Hi, sorry to bother you at home, my name is Spike, a friend of mine is experiencing trouble with his senses, we're pretty certain he's a Sentinel and that I'm his guide, I know you've had trouble in the past but we'd really appreciate any help you and Mr Sandburg can give us."

Jim looked stunned by the torrent of words and Spike realised that the Xander / Willow babble was apparently contagious. He'd have to keep an eye on that, he might have occasionally watched in awe as they double teamed Giles with enough babble you'd have thought they were the unbreathing undead, however it was not a skill he had any desire to emulate.

Jim finally seemed to make sense of what he'd heard and he was not pleased if the vein throbbing in his temple and the clenched jaw was anything to go by.

"That phone call last week." He started "that was you?"

"That would have been Willow, she was quite upset after, said you were a very rude man."

"Well I'm sorry but you've had a wasted trip, that whole Sentinel thing was a sham. Like I told your friend Willow, get this guy into rehab we can't help." Jim pulled open the door and gestured as if to usher Spike out.

Spike was getting really tired of being manoeuvred through doors today and stood his ground. "I know what you told Willow and I know it's bull, I know you're scared and trying to protect Blair and I know why but last night I had to watch while my friend vomited and shook and cringed away from every sight or sound or touch because I didn't know he'd turned up his hearing and I shouted at him. We need help and you and Mr Sandburg are the only ones who can give that help, now I'm trying to respect your concerns here by speaking to you first, please, don't turn us away." Spike tried to keep his voice down but it seemed that the man in the kitchen had heard enough to know that something was up as he poked his head around the corner looking concerned. "Is everything OK Jim?" he asked.

"Everything's fine Chief, I just need to pop outside and have a word with this .. gentleman."

The hesitation was brief but Blair had obviously picked up on it and stepped closer, wooden spoon still in hand. "Is it the case?"

"No, nothing like that, I'll be five minutes, ten tops" Jim spoke reassuringly and Spike could clearly see the caring between the two men. "Go on Chief" Jim nodded towards the kitchen, "I think I smell burning" and with a muttered obscenity the younger man darted back into the kitchen to check on his master work.

Turning back to Spike Jim motioned to the door once again, "you heard that, you've got ten minutes." This time Spike did not protest and headed out of the door. Together the two men headed down the stairs and out the door onto the street. As they stopped outside the door of the apartment building Spike checked his watch and realised it was coming up on 30 minutes since his last check in.

"Give me a minute, yeah" and he waved his phone at the detective before dialling Xander and praying that he would pick up. The phone rang twice and Spike was starting to reach for his keys when Xander answered the call, "Sorry man, dropped the phone, how's it going there?"

"It's fine, I'm with Det. Ellison now, I should be back there in under an hour."

"OK. Good. See you soon." And Xander rang off apparently still engrossed in whatever weird show he was watching on the tv.

Reassured that Xander was doing fine Spike put away his phone only to see Ellison staring at him with a strange look on his face, "Bollywood?" The one word made into a question by the inflection of his voice.

Spike looked at his phone in confusion before remembering that he was talking to another Sentinel, this one fully mature and in control of his senses, of course he'd heard the TV in the background of the telephone call. "Yeah, he said something about finding a Bollywood triple bill, I've no idea what that means but he seemed happy about it."

"You worry about him don't you." Jim stated.

Spike could see that a corner had been turned in the conversation, "I do, he's handling all this pretty well but last night was really bad."

Jim nodded, he'd obviously made a decision, "you get back to him, bring him to the loft tomorrow evening about the same time and we'll have dinner and talk, Blair's a very good cook."

Grateful that they were going to help Spike shook Jim's hand and headed to Xander's car for the trip back to Federal Way. As he walked across the parking lot he'd have sworn he heard the other man muttering "I thought Blessed Protector was a strictly Sentinel role."

A/N : There you go, another 6500 words, I'm sure that should be worth 5 - 10 words of a review in anybodies money. Please review NOW! See, I used the magic word.


	10. Chapter 10

**Authors Note :** Thank you to** malu31, jules 3677, prismaticmem** and **AnneWentworth** for your reviews, as I'm sure you've figured out by now reviews make me very happy and I'm hoping a new chapter will return the favour. **malu31** all will be revealed on that front in a couple of chapters, I did have a great scene in mind where Jim gets all up close and personal sniffing Spike for just such a dead smell and then Xander comes over all jealous and possessive, unfortunately it didn't fit in when I was writing that chapter, still maybe I can do something with it later. **AnneWentworth**, sorry they don't all meet up in this chapter but it's coming soon, promise.

Chapter 10

As Jim climbed the stairs back up to the loft apartment he shared with Blair he could smell the delicious aromas of Blair's cooking and hear the sounds of cutlery and crockery being set out. It seemed dinner was ready, he just hoped he still got to eat it after he got through telling Blair who his visitor had been and why he'd had to drive a couple of thousand miles to visit in person.

Opening the loft door the fantastic smell hit him full force. "Wow Chief, that smells amazing." Well there was no harm in garnering a few extra points while he could, and hey it was true. While in any normal household the next question would invariably be 'What are we having?' Jim had learned long ago that with Blair's cooking it was safest not to ask, just to enjoy the food, after all sometimes ignorance truly was bliss.

"Who was that?" Blair asked as he placed the filled plates on the table and waved Jim to his seat. "I don't think I've seen him before."

"His name is Spike and no you won't have met him before."

"Spike, odd name, I'd love to hear the story behind that one some time, how'd you come to meet him." Blair asked.

"I've never met him before, but maybe you can ask about the name tomorrow, he's coming to dinner and he'll be bringing a friend." Jim wondered if he'd be allowed to get away with just that, he should have known better after knowing Blair for so long.

"You've never met him before, and now he's coming to dinner and bringing a friend. What's going on here Jim? You said it was noting to do with the case?" Blair questioned trying to make sense of the evenings events. Jim wasn't someone who made friends easily, he certainly wasn't someone to befriend a stranger who just turned up at his door and invite him to come to dinner and bring a guest.

"It's a long story Chief, can we discuss it after we eat." Jim tried to buy himself some time.

"It can't be that long a story Jim, you've only known him for" Blair shot back his cuff and looked at his watch "less than an hour."

Realising that his doom was at hand Jim shovelled in one last mouthful of food before mournfully laying down his fork. "Last week, Sunday or Monday evening, I can't remember exactly, you were in the shower when I got a phone call." Jim paused, needing to find the right words to make Blair see that he'd only done what he thought was right.

"OK, a phone call, I'm with you so far." Blair prompted him to continue the story.

"Yeah, it was a young woman, she was babbling, sounded like she was high on something, she said that a friend of hers was having some trouble with his senses, they'd found a copy of your dissertation online and so she asked if you could help him at all." Jim dropped his eyes to study the food on his plate, he could tell that Blair was angry, the temperature in the room appeared to have dropped several degrees and Blair who was usually so full of life and movement had frozen with his loaded fork in mid air.

"And what did you tell her?" He asked. Jim had never heard his voice sound so flat and cold.

Jim felt like a naughty schoolboy hauled up in front of the principal, he was unable to raise his eyes from his plate as he muttered. "I told her to get him into rehab and to stop bothering us."

"I'm sorry Jim, could you repeat that, I don't have Sentinel hearing." Jim flinched at Blair's heavy emphasis on the personal pronoun.

Raising his voice slightly to a more normal volume Jim repeated "I told her to get him into rehab and to stop bothering us."

Stony silence ensued and for several minutes Jim didn't dare to raise his eyes from the plate in front of him, he had never seen Blair this angry, he pushed away the remaining food, suddenly the smell was making him nauseous.

Finally Blair spoke, "let me get this straight" Jim just nodded, "you took a phone call from someone who wanted to speak to me." Blair paused and Jim nodded again. "And instead of taking a message" Jim hung his head "or telling me about it" Jim's head drooped even lower "you just blew them off." Jim nodded again. "And have you been censoring my calls for long?" The last was said in such a conversational tone that it took a moment to sink in.

"What! No!" Jim erupted, the accusation hitting him like a stinging blow to the face. "It wasn't like that, I just wanted to protect you." Jim desperately tried to explain, he knew he'd screwed up, he just hoped Blair would give him a chance to make things right. "The whole mess with your dissertation ruined your life, you've worked so hard to pull it all back together, I didn't want some airhead coming in and dragging it all up again, I just wanted to protect you." Jim slumped in his chair as he repeated his final words, sounding like a broken man.

Carefully placing his fork back on his plate Blair put both hands on the table and pushed back his chair, standing he said "I'm sorry, this isn't working, I've outstayed my welcome." Jim looked on in shock as Blair paused before continuing, "I'll start looking for my own place in the morning, I'll be out of your way as quickly as possible." And Blair started to cross the floor to his bedroom door.

Jim was stunned by his words but as soon as Blair began to move away from him he leapt to his feet, ignoring the crash of his chair as it was thrown backwards to fall to the floor he rushed to intercept his guide before he reached his own room. "What does that mean 'It isn't working'? I need you here, I'll always need you here, the only reason I don't zone every day is because I can feel your heartbeat, I can smell your hair." Jim stopped short of running his hand through that glorious silken mass of curls, no matter how much he might long to touch his partner he knew Blair wouldn't appreciate it after all, Blair likes women, it ran like a mantra through his head, Blair likes women. "It doesn't matter how far away you are during the day, my senses are permanently grounded in you, as long as I can be close to you during the evenings then I can keep control, but if you left me." Jim paused again, ruthlessly quelling another urge to reach out and hold Blair close so that he couldn't leave. "Don't leave me." He finished dropping his arms to hang down by his sides.

Blair stared at Jim, he'd finally admitted to himself that there would never be anything between them, that Jim was too uptight, too repressed to ever need him for anything more than help with his Sentinel senses and now it seemed like Jim could be offering him everything he had ever wanted, all in one six foot one and a bit, blue-eyed, well muscled package. He had to be sure, if it really was true then he'd stay, that was a no-brainer, but he had to be sure. He was angry enough now to leave, to maybe find someone who would love him back, but if he fooled himself into believing Jim wanted him and that wasn't true then he might never again be able to summon up the resolve to leave. "Jim, we need to talk, and we need to be completely honest with each other." He stopped to look into Jim's eyes, he needed to be sure that his Sentinel was hearing him, searching those crystal blue depths he was reassured that Jim understood the turning point at which they stood and he continued. "We need to be completely honest with each other, and then we can decide together if there is any reason for me to stay or if it's time to move on."

Jim breathed an immense sigh of relief, he felt like a convicted felon reprieved even as he stood upon the gallows, if they could talk then maybe they could make this right again. "We... We should sit." He stumbled over the words but Blair nodded and they made their way over to the comfortable sofas in the seating area, he settled on one with Blair settling across from him with the low coffee table between them. "Who's going to start?" He asked.

"You've already said some of what you're feeling, so I'll start." Blair stated, "Is that OK?"

"Sure." Jim was relieved, he knew his only chance now to keep Blair in his life was to be completely honest, but that would be so much easier if he knew how Blair felt, if he could be sure he wouldn't be facing outright rejection after he opened his heart to the other man.

Blair pulled his feet up so that he was sat crossed legged opposite Jim and then taking a deep breath to centre himself he began to talk. "Ok, you know that I like women, but what you don't know is that I also like men." He paused briefly and Jim looked up at him in shock "I'm bisexual, I've known that about myself since my teens but I've kept that part of me locked away for the last few years." Blair paused again, this was something that he'd hidden for so long, it felt good to finally come clean and lay the truth at the feet of his long-time partner. "At first it was because I wasn't sure how members of the Police Department would react, after all some of them had enough trouble taking me seriously as it was what with the long hair and the clothes, without adding in my sexuality to the mix. Eventually I moved in here with you and slowly began to realise that you were everything I'd ever looked for in a partner." Blair stopped talking, he was getting to the heart of the matter and it was a little scary. If Jim took this badly then it could be the end of their friendship, a friendship he'd grown to depend on over the last few years.

"But there you were, everything I'd ever dreamed of, but decorated war veteran, decorated cop, totally untouchable. I couldn't believe that you would ever be interested in me in that way and I wanted you to, so much, and so I pushed those feelings down deep inside. I carried on dating women occasionally so that you wouldn't become suspicious but eventually I even stopped that after one of them showed me how unfair I was being." Blair remembered that night so vividly even after all this time, he'd been out with this girl, Sophie, he'd run into her in a coffee shop downtown and they'd hit it off straight away, he was driving her home after dinner and a movie when she invited him in for coffee. He'd suddenly felt so trapped, he knew what was expected of him but he just wanted to get home and spend some time with Jim. Some of what he was feeling must have shown on his face that night because Sophie had picked up on it, he'd ended up pouring his heart out to her as they sat in the old Volvo outside her apartment building. She'd listened to everything he had to say and then she'd set him straight on a few things, like how unfair it was for him to raise expectations when he was so completely hung up on someone else, he seemed like a nice guy and he seemed to be looking for commitment, just not with the women he was dating.

"So after that I just concentrated on enjoying what time I could spend with you, but that's not enough any more. Then after what you told me this evening it seemed like you were taking control of my life, presuming to know who I did or didn't want to talk to, like an old married couple but without the perks. I was angry and I realised that I can't carry on like this, I think that I've been falling in love with you for a long time now, if you could feel the same way about me then we need to try and move on as a couple, if you're not interested in me like that then I need to move on and find someone who can see me in that way." Blair finally finished speaking, he'd laid his heart bare and now he had to see whether it would be trampled roughshod underfoot or whether it would be nurtured and allowed to blossom in a new stage of their relationship.

Jim sat stunned at the outpouring of all Blair felt, he hadn't realised how close he'd come to losing Blair forever. But now, if he did this right, if he could be as honest with Blair as Blair had been with him then maybe this could be fixed, maybe they could have the relationship he'd dreamed of. Looking up to meet Blair's eyes he tried to put all that he felt on display for his guide to see. "OK, you've been completely honest with me and I want to do the same for you." He paused, this was so hard to do. "I've never told anyone this, I fairly certain I'm gay." There, he'd finally said it. He'd been hiding for so long that it felt good to finally say the words out loud.

"I've hidden from that all my life, my father would have thrown me out on the street, the army would have thrown me in prison so it's something I've never acted on. When I met Caroline we became best friends, I thought that would be enough, but it wasn't, we divorced and a little over a year later I met you." This would be the hard part to admit to, Blair was so strong and so open to new experiences, Jim wasn't, he'd recognised what he was feeling and tried to push it all away, to hide it under a rock, but Blair would not be hidden.

"Everything that I'd been suppressing all my adult life came surging up inside me and I had to work really hard to put it all back into the box. But every so often you'd force your way out of the box again like when you were kidnapped by Lash, or when you overdosed on Golden, and each time it got harder and harder to force those feelings back down. Eventually it got to the point that I couldn't suppress those feelings anymore, the only thing I could do was hide them and I don't even think I do a very good job of that anymore. People just seem to put it down to me being a touchy-feely type of person but I'm not, not with anyone else, only with you, I have to touch you whenever the opportunity arises even if it's only to brush against you as we're walking. I know that I've been falling in love with you for a long time but I convinced myself that you'd never be interested in me, I'm the wrong sex, too old and too repressed. You, you're young, a free spirit and you're so gorgeous I..." Jim tailed off, he hadn't meant to say quite so much, apparently this honesty thing could be addictive.

"Wow Jim" Blair sat back "So the question now is, do you want to stop hiding, at least from me?"

Jim thought hard, if there was a possibility that he could be with Blair then he wanted that with all his heart, but could Blair live with keeping their relationship a secret, there was only one way to find out. "I'd love to stop hiding from you, but I can't come out down at the station Blair, you know what cops are like, I can't do it." Jim's voice rose with a note of panic at the thought of letting it be known to every cop in the city that he and Blair were in a relationship.

"OK, that's OK Jim, I can live with that," Blair soothed his agitated Sentinel, "for now." He added, he wasn't going to let Jim off too easy.

Jim sat hunched over, tense as he awaited the explosion of anger from his guide, slowly the realisation sank into his bones that it wasn't going to come, he focussed on the words his guide had said, forcing his mind to find meaning in them, gently the tension seeped out of his body to be replaced by a bone deep weariness, exhausted by the emotional upheaval of the last few hours he could only voice his hope softly, "then you'll stay?" the rider, 'for now', remained unspoken but still rang loudly throughout the loft.

"Yes, I'll stay."

**Meanwhile back at the Super 8**

Pulling up outside the hotel room Spike climbed out of the car, it had been at least 45 minutes since he had spoken to Xander and he headed inside quickly, anxious to assure himself of his Sentinel's safety. He pushed open the door only to be assaulted by the most god-awful caterwauling he had ever been subjected to. "What in Lucifer's name is that bloody racket?" he asked sharply as he stood stricken in the doorway staring in horror at the small TV screen.

Xander just laughed and reached for the remote to switch off the TV. "That my friend, was Bollywood, Indian movies, lots of music and dance." He paused for a moment to take in the expression of horror on Spike's face that that sound could be called music. "So, how did it go?" Xander finally asked eager to find out whether Spike's mission had been a success or not.

Spike, unaware of the havoc he'd caused at 852 Prospect sauntered across the room to the small kitchenette to prepare himself a quick snack, pigs blood warmed through in the microwave and two weetabix for texture, before answering. "It went well I think, spoke to Ellison, he wasn't keen at first, tried to deny all knowledge, but we're both invited for dinner tomorrow night to discuss things."

"Cool, sounds good. So can we go out to eat now?" Xander practically whined the last part with such a look of abject patheticness on his face that Spike had to laugh.

"What do you mean eat, you had pizza two hours ago." The stern tone of his voice was belied by the twinkle in his eyes.

"Two and a half hours actually, come on, we've been cooped up in the car and in hotel rooms for three days, let's go out and do - something." Xander decided to try the puppy dog eyes, they'd never failed him yet and he needed to get outside and stretch his legs.

Spike had to work had to keep in the grin that threatened to overwhelm him at Xander's antics, he really had the petulant tone and the puppy dog eyes down pat and Spike was a firm believer that such effort should be rewarded but there was something they needed to get out of the way first. "OK, we can go out, but first we need to call Sunnydale and give them an update."

Xander looked crestfallen at the reminder of his friends back home, he really was going stir crazy from being cooped up for the last few days but that was no excuse to completely forget his friends like that, they must be worried sick. "You're right, come sit down, we'll call them now."

He grabbed up his mobile and dialled the magic shop hoping to catch Giles even if the girls were out on patrol. The phone rang twice before he heard Giles' voice "Good evening, Magic Box."

"Hi Giles, it's us, how is everyone?" Xander greeted the only decent father figure in his life.

"Xander, it's good to hear from you, Willow's been a bit on edge since you didn't call in last night, is everything OK with you both?"

"We're fine, sorry for not calling, we had a little excitement at the hotel last night and decided we needed to get on our way asap."

'A little excitement' the words struck fear into the seasoned watcher's heart, "Oh my," Xander and Spike exchanged a grin, they could practically see Giles whipping off his glasses to clean them. Then Willow broke into the conversation "and what constitutes 'a little excitement' this time, last time it was a mugger with a foot long blade at your throat."

"We're fine Willow" Xander hastened to reassure his friend, letting the exaggeration slide for now, "a gang broke into our hotel room to rob us, they were on PCP, the hotel receptionist set them onto us, he saw two guys checking into a room and assumed we'd be an easy target."

"You were attacked by a gang on PCP!" Apparently Buffy was talking to them again now.

"Yes, but we're both fine, it's nothing to worry about."

"Wait!" Willow took back control of the conversation "you were attacked by a gang on PCP, or you were attacked by 'a gang on PCP'" even Spike could hear the air quotes as Willow spoke the last words.

"An honest to goodness gang on PCP, four young adult human males, one with a gun and three with knives kicked in the door of the hotel room and demanded all our money and valuables." Spike clarified.

"Oh my God!" They could hear the shock in Willow's voice and in the murmurs of the others at the other end of the phone line. Xander shot a frown at Spike, he'd planned to downplay the attack but it was too late now, the cat was out of the bag. "How badly are you hurt, are you in hospital, do you need us to get up there, what about Spike how badly was he hurt, how much did they get away with." Willow had entered complete panic babble mode and Xander had to make several attempts before he was able to break in and make himself heard.

"Willow, calm down, breathe, we're fine, they didn't lay a finger on us, they didn't take anything, and by the way thanks for your confidence in me."

Seeing the hurt in Xander's eyes Spike felt his anger at the boy's so called friends welling up inside him again. "Xander fought them off, the spirit animals appeared and warned us that something was coming so we were armed and ready when they came through the door. As soon as we realised that they were human Xander stepped up, he took out the first three with a little help from the hyena on the gunman, then the tiger took out the last one.

"And we found out something interesting, the tiger appears to have a chip, just like Spike." Xander dropped their final bombshell for the evening.

"The tiger has a chip, poor thing."

Spike hung his head in despair as Willow apparently picked up on the least important revelation of the evening.

Xander just gave him a rueful grin, they may be crappy friends but they were all he had. Worried that if this carried on much longer Spike would be heading back to Sunnydale to wreak some havoc of his own Xander decided to finish the conversation as quickly as possible. "Look, we're at the Super 8 in Federal Way, we're both fine, Spike has been to speak to Ellison and we're both invited for dinner tomorrow night, we'll call you after. Goodnight guys"

"Goodnight Xander, Spike, take care." And Giles ended the call watching in wonder as Willow appeared affronted by the abrupt end to the call, she clearly had no idea how much she had just insulted her oldest friend.

Spike stood and pulled the door open "Come on whelp" he called and Xander bounded off the bed and grabbed up his jacket as they headed out together to see what joys Federal way held for a Sentinel and his vampire guide.

**A/N :** There it is, chapter 10, hope you enjoyed it, if you did or even if you didn't then why not let me know in a review


	11. Chapter 11

**Authors Note: **Hi, sorry I didn't get this posted yesterday, I've been really distracted lately with job hunting and this week I received a job offer, it's just sinking in that there's no reason, beyond my own paranoia, that my ex-employers should mess up my references and in three weeks I'll finally be back at work. Anyhow, here it is, chapter 11. Big thank yous go to **AnneWentworth, Mika-Mustang, prismatismem **and **ObscureEnough** for their reviews, always a pleasure to hear that the story is being read and enjoyed. I'll admit to being somewhat confused by your review **Mika-Mustang**, is that out of 10?

Chapter 11

**The next morning - 852 Prospect**

Jim Ellison woke slowly, stretching luxuriously after the best nights sleep he'd had in a while. Gradually the events of the previous evening came back to him. He remembered the long discussion with Blair and the immense surge of relief he had felt when Blair had agreed to stay. After that things became a little blurry, he'd felt so drained by all the emotional turmoil that he had just sat there, unable to summon the energy to move. Blair had seen the state that he was in and ushered him into the bathroom to get washed up for bed before packing him off up the stairs to his own space where he'd gone out like a light as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Now as he lay there he could hear the sounds of Blair moving about in the kitchen down below and delicious aromas began to drift up to him, it smelled like time to get up. Yawning widely he made his way down the steps into the main room of the loft apartment where he was surprised to see that the remains of last nights meal had all been cleared away, it appeared Blair had stayed up somewhat later than he had the night before.

Wandering into the kitchen he found Blair humming to himself as he got started on preparations for tonight's meal.

"Good Morning Jim, go, shower, I'll have breakfast ready when you get back." Blair sounded cheery despite the early hour, it was only now that that chirpiness was back that Jim realised how it had been fading steadily over the preceding weeks and months.

Thinking back on it Jim understood that he would need to pay much closer attention to his guide's moods and feelings if they were going to make this work. As it was it looked like he'd be cooking for the next week, they normally shared the work but after all the cooking and cleaning that Blair had done over the last couple of days Jim had to make a serious effort to pull his own weight.

Grunting an acknowledgement Jim headed off for his shower returning 30 minutes later washed, dried and dressed to face the day. "Thanks Chief, I needed that."

"No problem man, grab some plates, this is about ready." Moments later both men were sat at the kitchen table tucking into blueberry pancakes. They ate their meal in comfortable silence, each man lost in his own thoughts of the coming day. Eventually they finished eating and Blair made to start clearing the table but Jim stood swiftly to stop him.

"My turn I think Chief. Go put your feet up for a few." Jim took the plates from his partners hands and moved easily around the kitchen, clearing plates and rinsing off the breakfast things, there wasn't much to do, Blair had long been in the habit of tidying up as he went along, after all, organisation was key, especially when as often happened both men were working together in the small amount of kitchen space available.

Blair didn't follow Jim's suggestion but instead spent the time pottering around the kitchen getting as much prep work as possible out of the way for the evening meal. If they had another Sentinel coming to dinner he wanted to make sure they had something special to serve.

When he had finished putting away the breakfast dishes Jim glanced at the clock noticing that it was time that they were making a move if they wanted to get to the station on time. They'd been putting in all the hours God sends on their most recent case, until eventually Simon had put his foot down and packed them off home for one quiet evening to recharge their batteries. The case had stalled and so Simon had sent them off with strict instructions not to return to the station before 9am the following morning otherwise they would find the doors to the bullpen locked against them. He hoped that a few hours of relaxation would allow both men to return to the case with renewed energy and maybe with the some new insight into the string of murders across the city.

"Grab your stuff Chief, it's time to get going." Jim drew his partner's attention to the time and both men headed to their own rooms to pick up jackets, notes etc. Blair made it to the front door first, scooping up his keys from the basket kept on the small table there for that very purpose.

"You ready to go?" he called out as Jim crossed the room to join him at the door.

"Not quite" Jim replied as he stepped deliberately into Blair's personal space and Blair found himself pressed back against the door as he looked slightly up at his Sentinel. His breath caught in his throat at the intensity in those crystal blue eyes. Jim brought up his left hand to cup Sandberg's jaw and his heart leapt as he felt his partner lean into the caress. Bringing his right hand up to rest on Blair's shoulder he slowly leant in, all the while studying Blair's face for any sign that he was moving too fast, but all he saw was arousal darkening those beautiful blue eyes, gently their lips touched. Jim's left hand slid back to entwine in that glorious hair and cradle the back of Blair's head, Jim felt the moan of ecstasy that fought it's way up from deep within Blair and then his partners lips opened and Jim's tongue swept through the warm moist cavern that was revealed, revelling in the taste of his guide. Too soon Jim had to pull back in order to breath and both men stood against the door, foreheads touching as they struggled to regain control of their wayward libidos.

"Wow Jim" Blair panted as his breathing slowly returned to normal "that was... wow."

Jim smiled, "Yeah, right back at ya."

They stood together for a few moments more just enjoying the physical closeness before Jim finally stepped back allowing Blair room to open the door and they left the apartment, heading off to the police station to see if there had been any breaks in their case overnight.

**Federal Way.**

After finishing the phone call to Sunnydale Spike and Xander headed out into Federal Way to enjoy some freedom after having been cooped up the car for so long. They found a small all night diner five minutes walk from, the motel where they stopped so that Xander could get a slice of pie.

After that they roamed the streets for a while until Sentinel hearing, and soon after vampire hearing, picked up strains of music and laughter mixed in with the noise of clinking glasses. They followed the sounds and before long found themselves outside a lively looking bar. Inside they were lucky to find the pool table unoccupied and so Xander stayed to set up a game while Spike made his way to the bar to collect two beers.

They soon settled in to a normal boys night out, no-one else seemed interested in the pool table so they were able to monopolise it for most of the evening, knocking back a few beers, knocking in a few balls and generally enjoying a companionable chat about absolutely nothing of any world shattering importance.

Eventually the patrons began to thin out until there was only one bartender left wiping down tables and closing up for the night. Spike and Xander called out a friendly goodnight and thanks as they left the bar, Spike grabbing a packet of cigs from the machine as they went.

Standing on the sidewalk outside Spike lit up before by mutual agreement they set off walking away from the motel to explore some more, neither of them ready for this night to end. They strolled through residential neighbourhoods, industrial areas and down darkened shopping streets just enjoying the night and the lack of world ending disasters on the horizon. Suddenly Spike stopped dead "What the hell!"

Xander had taken a couple more steps before being brought up short by his companion's harsh words. Turning he saw Spike staring at what appeared to be a drip of paint running down the wall outside of a butchers shop. Xander looked around him in confusion, trying to see what had caused such a strong reaction from the vampire. Seeing nothing else to explain Spike's reaction he stepped closer to examine the drip on the wall. Normal vision could see nothing more than a dark line running down the wall, however as he focussed in Sentinel vision could see a drip of fresh red paint running down the wall for a length of about a foot. He sniffed the air carefully but could smell no scent of drying paint so although the drip looked fresh it was probably at least a day or two old. He reached out to touch it in order to confirm his supposition that it was paint and not something more sinister but found his hand slapped away by Spike in a sudden blur of movement.

"Don't touch that!" Spike barked out sharply.

"What's going on here Spike?" Xander asked. "So the painter got a little sloppy, what's the big deal?"

"You see any other red paint on this building?" Spike asked his tone still unusually sharp as he finally dragged his eyes away from the drip and scanned up and down the street as if expecting an attack.

Stepping back Xander had to admit that he had a point, there was no red paint on this shop front or even any of the neighbouring stores. In fact it didn't look like any of these shops had seen a fresh coat of paint in several years. The existing paintwork was dirty and scuffed but here, running down the wall, was a pristine drip of bright red paint that obviously had Spike seriously spooked.

"OK, I see your point but why has it got you so freaked out?" Xander could see that it was unusual but was still having a hard time understanding why Spike was reacting so strangely.

"Look, have you heard of hobo signs?" Spike asked.

Xander hated it when people answered a question with another question but he decided to play along for now, they'd been having a good time and he didn't want to spoil it if at all possible. "You mean signs on the walls or path outside houses to pass on information to other vagrants, 'this household will give food for work', 'this household will pull a shotgun on you' that kind of thing?"

"Yeah, that's the idea. Well hobos, vagrants aren't the only one to use signs like that, this is a vampire sign, it means human blood available here."

Xander spun around in shock from where he had been examining the drip, "Wait, What, do you mean like that place Riley went, where humans allow vampires to feed from them?"

"No, if it were straight from the vein then the drip would branch and it would be in blue. No this is more likely to be bagged blood." Spike finally seemed to decide that there was no immediate danger, but the relaxed mood of earlier was gone and Xander now stood in no doubt that he was in the presence of a dangerous predator.

"But where would they get quantities of bagged human blood?" Xander wondered, he knew Willies place often stocked human blood but he had carefully avoided thinking about where that had come from.

"They may have a contact in a local hospital, sometimes someone can smuggle out donated blood that has been rejected for one reason or another." Spike explained before turning to head back towards the motel, it looked like their relaxed evening was over. "Come on, time to head back."

Spike walked briskly away and Xander had to run a few paces to catch up before falling into step beside his friend.

"If you think that they're selling reject blood from the hospital, what has got you so spooked?"

"Dunno, but there was something off about that mark." Spike replied looking back over his shoulder at the shop receding in the distance with a furrowed brow. "Oi, master vampires don't get spooked." He added as an afterthought once Xander's words had sunk in.

Xander thought back to his careful examination of the mark, he conjured up a picture of it in his mind and examined it again until suddenly it struck him, "how easy is it to get hold of this reject blood?" he asked.

"Not that easy, it's virtually impossible to get a steady supply that way." Spike answered, wondering where Xander was heading with this.

"So, is there a mark to say 'out of stock' I mean I imagine most people want to avoid having to tell an irate vampire that O neg is off the menu tonight." Xander mused.

"Yes, a black drip over the red" supplied Spike.

"OK, well that drip was fresh and it looked like it had been renewed several times but I didn't see any signs of black paint, only fresh red poured over the old."

Spike just nodded in reply, Xander had hit the nail on the head, he'd seen those marks occasionally, but never pure red, there was always a trace of black running through it, fresh human blood never stayed in stock for long.

They walked the rest of the way back to the motel in silence, each reflecting on the possible implications of the small drip of red paint running down a wall that had brought their evening's entertainment to an abrupt halt.

**Police Department**

It was almost nine when the battered blue and white truck driven by Jim Ellison pulled into the parking lot at the Police Department in downtown Cascade. It took a few minutes to find a parking space and then to take the elevator up to the third floor so it was exactly nine when Jim and Blair pushed open the doors to Major Crimes and walked into the bullpen. Simon Banks was already busy at his desk as were most of the other officers of the Major Crimes department and the two men moved quickly to their desks to see if there had been any breakthrough in their current case overnight.

Thus it was that with no new information they were deeply immersed in reviewing everything that they had found so far on the case when they were shocked back to the present as Simon Banks threw down his phone cursing a blue streak before grabbing his coat and yelling for Jim and Blair to follow him.

"What's up Simon?"

"Is it another one?" both men spoke simultaneously as they shrugged into their jackets and rushed to catch up to their Captain's long legged strides. As human beings they dreaded the thought of another crime scene and the desecrated bodies that it would bring, however as police officers they were well aware that it was their best hope to find the information that they needed in order to catch this killer.

"Another crime scene, four more bodies." was the terse reply causing both men to wince. The crime scenes were coming faster and with more bodies. It had been irregular to start with, just one body now and then, so much so that they hadn't even realised that they had a serial killer on their hands. It was only after the bodies started piling up on a more regular schedule and they began looking back over cold cases that they realised how long this had been going on for. The last deaths had been 3 bodies, 4 days ago with three more bodies a week earlier.

"Where is it this time?" asked Jim as the elevator let them out on the parking level.

"The abandoned theatre at Fourth and Maple, I'll meet you there." Simon called out as he climbed into his police issue sedan while Jim and Blair hurried off to find the spot where they had parked Jim's truck just hours before.

Silence reigned on the tense drive to the location Simon had given them, they made short work of the mid morning traffic and were soon pulling up outside the abandoned movie theatre. There was already a heavy police presence on site and flashing their id's to the officers standing guard outside the building they entered through the dilapidated box office and into the main auditorium. Inside they found uniformed officers working their way through the rows of moth-eaten seating looking for any clues to help solve this case. Meanwhile the crime scene techs were busy on the stage in front of the large cinema screen. Simon was up there too, standing to one side and they swiftly joined him.

As they reached his side they saw the cause of all this activity, there at the side of the stage, stacked like cordwood were four bodies, two men and two women all in their early twenties from the look of it. They were dressed for a night out on the town, women in mini dresses and the men in smart jeans and open necked shirts. One of the large curtains had been pulled down and discarded, from experience of the previous crime scenes they assumed it had been used to cover the bodies.

Closer examination of the female bodies showed ligature marks around their ankles. Jim stepped back and examined the curtain runner above their heads and even without sentinel vision it was clear that it was bent, as if some heavy weight had been hung from it. On closer inspection he could see that some of the brackets holding it up were beginning to pull loose from the ceiling. So far everything that he could see matched up to the previous scenes, he turned his attention back to the bodies for the final confirmation, there was no sign of lividity on any of the bodies, none of the usual discolouration of the skin as the blood settled down to the lowest areas of the body under the pull of gravity. Just like all the previous victims these young people had died of exsanguination, there would be found to be barely a drop of blood in any of the bodies at autopsy.

"It's just the same as the other scenes." Jim pointed out what everybody else could see, "they were hung from the curtain runner by their ankles and all the blood was drained from their bodies. Are there any other wounds on the bodies?" He asked the closest crime scene tech who was currently examining one of the young women.

"No, just the usual, ligature marks around the ankles from where they've been suspended and small puncture wounds in the arms where the needles were attached to drain the blood from them." was the reply.

"OK, well that confirms what we've suspected, there has to be more than one of them, probably three or four at a guess." Jim seemed to be thinking out loud rather than talking to his companions as he stood looking from the stacked bodies to the curtain rail overhead.

"Why do you say that?" asked Simon, wanting to hear his detective explain his reasoning.

"Look at that rail Simon" Blair answered when it became clear that Jim was too engrossed in his examination to answer the question. "They couldn't have hung more than one body at a time, you see where the brackets have almost pulled free, it would never have taken the weight of multiple bodies, but there are no signs of any other restraints on any of the bodies and no wounds, so they weren't knocked out or disoriented. It would have probably taken two people to handle stringing up each victim and draining the blood, then another one or more likely two to control the other victims while they waited for their turn." Several of the other officers and techs in the vicinity gave Blair odd looks at his enthusiasm, although after all this time they knew well how excited the anthropologist could get it still seemed somewhat indecent to see such liveliness at the site where four people had lost their lives in such a gruesome way.

"OK, I follow you so far, but why is this only proved now, we've had other scenes with multiple bodies, wouldn't the same apply for them." Simon was playing devil's advocate now, getting the detectives to verbalise their findings, to talk them through and gain clarity.

"Yes, there have been other scenes with multiple bodies, but they had each been taken individually, one strong perp could have overpowered each victim individually and dealt with them one at a time, but this time, well just look at them, they just kind of match some how, I'd bet my next months paycheck that we'll find that these four were all out together and were taken together. In fact I think I know where we should start looking."

"OK Kid, where's that?" asked Simon interested to see what the young detective would suggest.

"Hex, it's a new club just down the road from here, it opened a couple of months ago in an abandoned church. When Jim's finished here we should head on down there and see if anyone knows anything."

As Blair had been speaking his partner had been examining each of the bodies in more detail as they were unstacked by the coroner's assistants. After hearing Blair's suggestion he moved quickly between the bodies checking the backs of their hands. He checked the hands of the final body, a young man, well dressed in expensive jeans and a button-down shirt, "good call Chief, they all have stamps on the backs of their hands." he confirmed Blair's hunch "let's go" and the two men headed out of the building to see if anyone was around at Hex to answer some questions.

"How does he do that?" muttered one of the crime scene techs as he stared at the hands of one of the victims, he'd be damned he if could make out a stamp impression but after long years of experience working with the detectives of Major Crimes he knew that when they got back to the lab and ran the necessary tests Jim would be proved correct once again.

**That afternoon, a motel room in Federal Way**

It had only been a few hours before dawn when Spike and Xander got back to their motel and they had quickly changed and gone to bed. It was late afternoon when Xander awoke and he found that he was grateful for the black out curtains that he had bought with him, not just because they prevented his companion from bursting into flames at inopportune moments but also for the extra sleep in the practically nocturnal existence he had been living since leaving Sunnydale.

Easing his way from the bed Xander quietly picked up his clothes and turned to head into the bathroom to wash and dress.

Spike drifted up from the depths of sleep only sufficiently for vampire senses to register that the sun was still high in the sky and was about to settle back down to sleep when he realised that something was amiss. Pulling in his senses to focus on his immediate surroundings he became aware that the warm body he had wrapped around in his sleep was no longer there. As that realisation sunk in he jerked fully awake and lifted up to support himself on one elbow, the other hand scrubbing through his hair.

"Where do you think you're going then?" he asked.

Xander spun around in surprise at the voice coming from the bed, "You're awake." He noted the obvious in a bid for time. "I thought I'd go back to that butcher's store and see if I could get any more information in daylight."

"Are you nuts?" came the angry response "you're not going within a mile of that place without someone to back you up."

"Oh yeah, and who's going to do that, combusto boy?" asked Xander sharply stung by Spike's apparent lack of faith in him.

"I know that you can handle yourself with vampires and demons and all the things that hide in the dark, but these are likely to be humans, they won't all necessarily be bad guys and they are going to be in a shop full of sharp implements that they are happy to use against you if they see you as a threat." Spike tried to explain his concerns to Xander, after all he'd gone to great pains on this trip to try to show the boy just how much faith he did have in him but he knew how low Xander's self esteem had been beaten down by the slayer, the witch and especially by the sperm and egg donors commonly known as Tony and Jessica Harris.

"I need you to have someone to watch your back if you venture into that shop, preferably me, but definitely someone." He stopped talking to look at Xander and see how his words were being received. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the lessening of tension in Xander's shoulders which conveyed the message that he was getting through.

"Well what do we do now then?" asked Xander.

""How about we talk to Ellison and Blair tonight at dinner and see if they have any information to add, if not then I'll go with you tomorrow evening immediately after sundown, they have to stay open after dark if they cater to the combusto crowd."

Xander ducked his head and gave a shy grin as he acknowledged Spike's sly dig at his earlier outburst. "Alright, well we've got three hours to kill before we set off" he pointed out after checking his watch.

"Go take a long, hot shower, then we can see what's on the goggle box when you're done." Spike suggested.

Xander just looked at him like he'd lost his marbles, "Huh?" and Spike just pointed to the TV in response.

Shrugging off another weird Britishism Xander headed into the bathroom to follow Spike's advice.

Spike waited until he heard the water start to run before grabbing his phone off the side table and dialling a familiar LA number from memory. The phone rang twice before it was answered, "Angel Investigations, we help the helpless" Cordelia's voice rang cheerfully through the speaker.

"Hey cheerleader, is the poofter in?"

Spike immediately felt the energy in Cordelia's voice drop as she realised that there was no profit to be made from this call. "ANGEL, it's the bleached wonder" Spike flinched as the strident tones suddenly pierced his ears as Cordy barely moved the phone from her mouth before calling for her boss.

Moments later he heard the click as the vampire who'd been more of a sire to him than his true sire had ever been lifted the receiver, "Spike?" came the querying tone.

"Hi Angel, I need a favour" Spike got straight down to business.

"What have you done now?" came the weary reply and Spike's first impulse was to take offence but thinking back over recent years he conceded that the older vampire might have a point.

"Nothing really, just, it seems Xander is a Sentinel, and I'm his guide."

"YOU WHAT!" came the shout from LA "how the hell did that happen?"

Spike gave a classic double take "wait, you know about Sentinels and guides?"

"Sure, met a Sentinel Guide pair back in the day when Darla and I were travelling through South America. They were the cutest couple, totally devoted to each other. The Guide would do anything for his Sentinel and the Sentinel was just as protective of his Guide." Remembering how the story ended Angel stopped there.

"OKaaaaay, moving swiftly on, that wasn't why I called, you remember when Xander got kidnapped a while back?" Spike moved the conversation back on track.

"Of course, he's alright now though isn't he?"

"He's fine, apart from the Sentinel thing but we're getting that under control. No the problem is that he lost his job because of it, well that and Slutty's incompetence in the friend department." Spike paused, waiting for the explosion at the insult to Angel's true love, but surprisingly it didn't come, maybe his sire had finally moved on.

"So I was thinking about that crew you had in to work on the mansion in Sunnydale, do you think they might have an opening for him,"

"But that's a demon crew." Angel sounded shocked at the idea.

"I know, the demon-magnet should fit right in, and he needs a job where they might be a little more understanding of the issues Xander has from working with the slayer."

"OK, well what do you need from me?"

"Do you still have their contact details?" Spike asked glancing quickly towards the bathroom door, he didn't want to let Xander know what he was planning until he was sure that it would work out.

**A/N:** Well, there it is, Chapter 11, they haven't all gotten together yet but I'm pretty sure that Spike and Xander will make it to the loft in Chapter 12. **Please review**, reviews make me happy.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note :** Hi there, big thanks to** prismaticmem, Mika-Mustang, PhotoKitty, AnneWentworth, darkcuriosity **and** Priestess of Silvanus** for your reviews. Six reviews this chapter, that's fantastic. **prismaticmem**, nearly 6000 words this chapter and we have the first meeting between all four guys, hope you liked it. Thanks **AnneWentworth**, I'm really looking forward to going back to being a productive member of society. **darkcuriosity**, glad you're enjoying it, Sentinel is well worth watching if you get the chance, IMHO.

Chapter 12

**Late Afternoon / Early Evening in the Major Crimes Bullpen**

Jim and Blair sat around their desk going over the new information from the latest crime scene. In truth there wasn't that much of it, they hadn't been able to contact anyone at Hex, nor had they been able to track down the owners of the nightclub. They had however, been able to confirm that their four victims had indeed been headed out for a night at the club. They had spent most of the day talking to families and friends of the victims, Keith Pierson, Lola Schwarz, Erik Smithson and Ellen James.

The four, it seemed, had known each other forever, Erik and Ellen had been high school sweethearts, while Keith and Lola had only actually been dating for a few months. Apparently everyone but the two involved had been saying for years that Keith and Lola would be perfect together. Now, at last, with Keith looking back on a string of meaningless flings and one-night stands and after Lola had finally gotten out of a really bad relationship they'd let their friends talk them into giving it a go and everything had just clicked into place for the young couple. That had all been destroyed by a psychopath, or group of psychopaths with a penchant for hanging people by their ankles and draining every drop of blood from their bodies.

"I hope you have Spike's contact details, looks like we'll have to cancel tonight." Blair shook his head as he surveyed the mess of interview notes littering the desktop.

"Leave it to me Chief, dinner's still on." Jim assured him and pushing back his chair he stood and headed over to Simon's office, closing the door firmly behind himself.

Blair sat for a moment watching his partner through the glass, there were times when he really wished he had Sentinel hearing.

Inside the office Jim stood with his back pressed against the door, waiting for Simon to look up from the paperwork that was occupying all of his attention.

"What's up Jim?" Simon finally asked, throwing his pen down on the desk.

"I needed to speak to you Simon, you see... there's a new Sentinel in town and"

"What!" Simon interrupted with a surprised shout, "tell me you're not kicking the kid out again!"

"What! No! Why would you even think that?" Jim was honestly confused by his superior's assumption.

"Well, isn't that what happened when that Barnes woman showed up?" Simon was relieved by the obvious outrage in Jim's voice at the suggestion that Blair was once again homeless. Still he was decidedly confused as to why Jim was mentioning it if it wasn't going to split up his best team.

Jim looked slightly sheepish as his friend's words, briefly hanging his head and rubbing at the back of his neck. "OK, point taken, but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

"OK, so there is a new Sentinel in town, why are you telling me about it?" Suddenly a horrible though hit him, they wouldn't, would they? "Tell me you're not requesting personal leave in the middle of the worst serial killer case in Cascade in Decades?"

"No, nothing like that, this new Sentinel and his Guide have come to Cascade to see if Blair can help them learn how to deal with these new powers. They're coming over to dinner at the loft tonight so we both need to leave around six." Jim eventually managed to get out his request without further interruption.

"Oh, is that all, well of course Jim, you and Blair take the night off for your little dinner party, and perhaps you'd like to take tomorrow too, take this Sentinel and his Guide sight seeing, I hear that the Cascade Murder tour has some fascinating new stops on account of the Serial Killer we're trying to catch!" Simon's voice started out soft and conversational although dripping with sarcasm from every word. By the end however he was standing, hands planted on the desk as he leaned forward glaring at his top detective shouting his final words.

"Look Simon, we're not doing anything now that we couldn't do just as well at home, the crime scene techs don't expect to have any results for us until the morning, and even when we do get the results the chances are they won't tell us anything more than we've learned from the previous bodies. We go home for a couple of hours, deal with these guys and by then Hex should be open and we can get down there and try to find out any more information about how the latest victims were taken."

Simon suddenly looked incredibly weary, straightening he pushed up his glasses to rub tired eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose and hanging his head as if it was suddenly too heavy to hold up any longer. "I'm sorry Jim, you didn't deserve that, take the kid and do what you need to do. Just make sure that the techs have your cell phone number in case the results do show anything new and update me in the morning."

"No problem, we're all on edge, when was the last time you got out of this place, and not just to a crime scene?" Jim was genuinely concerned about his boss and friend, he might be driving the task force hard to find this killer, but he was driving himself even harder.

"I'm fine," the tall man slumped back into his chair looking anything but, "it's nearly six, get your stuff together and get out of here, I'll see you bright and early in the morning."

"Thanks boss, get some sleep, yeah?" Simon just waved him off and Jim left the office. Crossing the bullpen he began to gather together the papers spread across his desk, "come on Chief, we're out of here, we'll deal with Spike and then we're off to Hex to see if we can get some answers."

"Is everything OK?" Blair asked as he helped straighten up the desk, shoving paperwork into his backpack so he could get some work done at home while dinner was cooking. "Simon looked pissed."

"It's fine, this case is taking it's toll on everyone, let's just pray for a breakthrough at Hex tonight." Jim reassured his partner before calling down to the lab to make sure that they had both his and Blair's contact details just in case of anything earth shattering in the test results.

Waiting until Jim had hung up the phone Blair looked both confused and hopeful, "are we expecting a breakthrough?"

"I don't know, we need something." Jim broke off, this case was wearing them all down.

Two hours later Jim and Blair were sat on either side of the coffee table once more going through all the statements taken earlier that day and from the friends and families of the earlier victims. Jim had whisked around the apartment as soon as they got home to make sure all was presentable for the evening before settling down to get some work done, Blair had joined him once dinner was underway, just popping to the kitchen occasionally to check on the food. The apartment was now filled with delicious aromas from the meal which would be ready to eat whenever Spike and the new Sentinel arrived.

Jim looked up from his comparison of the documents before them and stared intently at the door to the loft apartment, after several moments he started gathering up the paperwork, swiftly and efficiently shuffling it into a neat pile. "They're on the stairs" he said and Blair immediately bustled off to the kitchen to ensure everything was ready. Two minutes later there was a sharp rap on the door and Jim opened it almost immediately to welcome their guests.

"Spike, hi, come on in both of you." As Jim greeted the two men at the door he was surprised to see a fleeting look of shock cross the dark haired man's face.

Knowing exactly what had caused the younger man to falter Spike flung back over his shoulder, "hey, you're not in Sunnyhell anymore Dorothy!"

"OK, that was weird." Blair had come out of the kitchen and seen the exchange between the two men.

"Hi, sorry, it's what passes for Spike's sense of humour." Xander skilfully dodged the shove that the vampire aimed at his shoulder and stepped forward to shake Jim's hand and then Blair's. "I'm Xander, thank you so much for agreeing to talk to us."

"No problem Xander, I'm Blair, this is Jim, I'm so sorry that you had to drive all this way." The last was said with a sharp glare at his partner causing the burly detective to drop his gaze for a moment. Seeing the interchange Xander briefly flashed back to simpler times when the Willow glare was the worst thing he had to worry about in his life.

"Something smells really good," Xander spoke hastily trying to defuse the tense moment.

"Of course! you must be hungry for a decent meal after such a long drive, come, sit down." Blair ushered the two men over to the kitchen table now set for four with a large pot of stew in the centre of the table, the source of the incredible aroma filling the room, and a basket of fresh baked dinner rolls beside it. "Tuck in."

Not needing to be asked twice Xander quickly settled at the table and allowed Blair to serve him with a large helping of the stew. As he placed the first forkful of food into his mouth Xander's eyes closed in bliss as the delicate flavours, perfectly balanced to appeal to Sentinel taste buds exploded across his tongue.

"Oh my God, Spike you have to try this, it's incredible" Xander looked to his friend who was just settling into the seat diagonally opposite him and accepting his own plateful from their host. Seeing the young man eagerly waiting for him to try the food Spike lifted a forkful to his mouth. As Spike parted his lips to see what all the fuss was about something niggling at the back of Xander's brain suddenly clicked into place. Xander's smile disappeared as if flicked off by a switch and his arm shot across the table knocking the fork from Spike's hand.

"Oi!" shouted Spike in surprise as the fork clattered to the table spreading food in a wide arc.

"Garlic!" Xander blurted out at the alarmed looks on Jim and Blair's faces and Spike immediately pushed back from the table wanting to put as much space as possible between himself and the poisonous meal. While garlic would not kill a vampire it could cause nasty burns. If ingested it would lead to nasty burns all down the throat and into the stomach making it difficult for the vampire to properly absorb nutrients from the blood it normally fed upon thus making healing a slow and painful process.

Sniffing the air Spike realised that Xander was right, the scent was very subtle and almost masked by the herbs and spices used in the dish but it was there when he thought to check for it.

Initially, stunned by the sudden actions of their guests Blair's first thought was to grab up a cloth and start cleaning up the mess on the table while babbling out his apologies. "I'm sorry, this was all so last minute it never occurred to me to ask about allergies, I've never heard of a garlic allergy before but..." His voice trailed off as he looked up at his partner who had been seated beside Spike and was now stood staring in horror at the blond man. Following the taller man's gaze he found himself staring into golden eyes set beneath a heavily ridged brow, hearing a low growl his vision focussed on the snarling mouth of the creature in front of him and the vicious looking teeth that filled it, especially the extended canines which suddenly resembled nothing so much as fangs.

"What the..." Blair gasped as he took in the predator now facing him across the dinner table.

Hearing his partners shocked words broke Jim out of his own paralysis and moving swiftly around the table he forced his Guide behind him moving them both back away from the two intruders in their home.

Seeing disaster hurtling towards them Xander carefully stood and being sure to make no sudden moves that could be misconstrued by the angry vampire or the startled police officers in the room he edged around the table. Spike remained frozen, his body vibrating with tension as the deep seated vampiric urge to attack warred with the programming preventing violence against humans enforced by the chip. Glancing over to Jim and Blair Xander assured himself that neither was reaching for a weapon, yet, and so he concentrated first on calming his Guide. Locking eyes with Spike he stepped forward slowly and reached up to gently run his fingers over the heavy brow ridges.

Feeling a slight lessening of tension in the muscles under his fingers he spoke softly, unconsciously using the same calming tones that Spike used on him after a sensory attack. "Ssh, it's alright, nobody meant you any harm, right?" he flung the last word over his shoulder at the two men watching, one in horror the other in fascination.

"N... No... No, I'm so sorry" Blair stuttered over the words as he desperately tried to make sense of the scene playing out before him.

"See," Xander continued, "vampface really isn't helping, can't you see that you're making the nice Detectives nervous?"

Slowly, under the gentle stroking of Xander's fingers the tension drained out of Spike's body and his features melted back into their usual chiselled perfection, golden eyes faded to their more normal ice blue and the elongated fangs withdrew back up into the gums. Finally his eyelids fluttered closed as Xander continued to stroke the now smooth skin of his forehead.

"What the hell just happened?" Jim's words broke the silence and two heads, one dark and one bleached blonde, snapped up and around as the quiet moment between Sentinel and Guide was broken.

"OK, you might want to sit down for this," Xander offered tentatively, shifting slightly to impose his larger form between his vampire and the now angry, ex-special forces ranger across from him.

"Or maybe not." He muttered as nobody moved.

"OK, vampire 101, " Xander started his explanation only to be interrupted almost immediately.

"Vampire!" The disbelief rang heavy in Jim's tone, "are you saying he thinks he's a vampire?"

"No, I'm saying he is a vampire." Xander stated, realising that he had a hard sell in front of him if they were going to get out of this in one piece, let alone get the help that they'd come to ask for.

Turning to properly face the other Sentinel / Guide pair Xander made sure to keep himself interposed between the vampire and the other men. "OK, look there are all sorts of stories about vampires, they can fly, they can turn into bats, they have skin like diamond, silver kills them, that's all bull." Xander was watching his audience as he ran through some of the abilities attributed to vampires, Jim was unmoved but he saw the excitement rising in Blair's eyes as he listed the myths only to be dashed by his final statement. He realised that if he could convince Blair, awaken the curly haired man's lust for knowledge and understanding then just maybe he'd get them both out of this with what they'd come for, help and friends to call upon when things got rough.

"Spike is a vampire, the undead, his heart doesn't beat, he does not breathe and he has no body temperature, he feeds on blood to survive, mostly pig, some cow it just depends on what we can get hold of through local butchers or abattoirs. Sunlight, holy water, crosses and garlic are all seriously detrimental to his health. He has a chip in his head that will not allow him to hurt a human, even accidentally or in self defence. If he hurts any human being he experiences an incapacitating jolt directly to the pain centres of the brain. He has been working with the Slayer in Sunnydale for the last few years, he's one of the good guys..." Xander had to break off at this point to quell said vampire's objections with a sharp glare "He's one of the good guys" Xander repeated daring Spike with a glance to object again "and he's saved my sanity, and likely my life over the last week or so since the Sentinel abilities manifested."

Xander examined the two men facing him and could see Blair's eagerness to know more, Jim was more guarded but also looked a little confused, Xander hoped that that meant he was making some headway. "Look, Jim, you're a Sentinel, you've been using your abilities for years, can you hear his heartbeat, can you see him breathing, can you feel any body heat from him, you've seen the change in his face when the Demon comes to the fore, you've seen his fangs, I'm telling you the truth, he's a vampire but he won't hurt you. Either of you." He watched his audience carefully, stepping slightly to the side to allow Jim a clear view of the vampire behind him but he remained alert, ready to defend his friend at any sign of hostility from the big man.

Stepping out from where he had been pushed, slightly behind the larger man, Blair turned the majority of his attention to his Sentinel only darting occasional quick glances across the dinner table to the other two men to make sure nothing changed. Seeing the tension in Jim's body Blair fell back on their established Sentinel / Guide routines, reaching up with his right hand he gently grasped Jim's upper arm, squeezing slightly and then rubbing up and down in a soothing gesture designed to ground the sense of touch allowing the taller man to crank up sight and sound without risking a zone-out.

"OK Jim, bring up your sight, slowly" Blair spoke softly, directing his Sentinel without distracting him.

Jim met his Guide's eyes for a moment, seeing only calm reassurance there he relaxed into the hold on his bicep. Bringing up the sensory controls as Blair had taught him so many years ago he mentally reached for the sight dial and eased it up focussing on the blonde man as he did so. First he examined the man before him, he saw a young man in his mid twenties, slightly built, about 5 foot 10 with bleached blonde, slicked back hair, piercing blue eyes and cheekbones that could cut glass. But even beyond the physical there was a feeling he got from the blonde man, one he'd only felt from Blair before, something that screamed 'Guide' to the Sentinel within.

Focussing in further he let his eyes rest on Spike's chest expecting to very quickly derail the vampire fantasy. A slight frown creased his forehead as he realised that the man was standing unnaturally still, there was no sign of movement, dropping his gaze to the abdomen he dialled his sight up a little higher but still saw no sign of respiration. Turning his attention to hearing he brought up that sense and attempted to focus in on the heartbeat while scanning all the visible pulse points for evidence of blood flow. Nothing, not a sound of a heartbeat, not a whisper of circulating blood, not a flicker of movement over pulse points at neck or wrists.

Transferring his attention to the other stranger in their midst he performed all the same checks on him, a younger man, slightly taller, well muscled, longish dark hair and deep brown eyes. Even through the baggy Hawaiian shirt it was easy to see his chest rising and falling with clear indications of normal breathing, he clearly heard a heartbeat, slightly faster than normal, but the tension of the last few minutes could easily account for that. The whisper of blood being pumped through blood vessels provided a soothing back drop to the other normal sounds of an functioning human body and the flutter of the skin at neck and wrists clearly underlined the rhythmic thud of the heart.

Carefully returning all his dials to their default positions he turned confused eyes to Blair, "he has no heartbeat, he's not breathing and his blood is not circulating, if he wasn't standing there staring at me I'd swear he was dead."

Stunned Blair turned back to study the walking corpse in front of him before addressing his partner, "are you sure your senses aren't playing up? Check me out."

"I'd love to," he shot back, pleased at the slight blush that suffused Blair's face, before returning his attention to the matter at hand, "but I've also scanned Xander and he reads human in every way."

"A vampire," Blair breathed in awe and he tried to step forward to verify Jim's findings for himself, only to find himself stopped by the iron bar across his chest disguised as Jim's arm. "But Jim, a vampire!" Blair repeated turning beseeching eyes on his Sentinel.

"Exactly Blair, a vampire, and we have exsanguinated corpses turning up all over Cascade!" Jim countered.

"Oh shit!" the words fell simultaneously from three separate pairs of lips as Jim's words registered with each member of his audience.

Xander quickly stepped in front of Spike once more as he saw the curiosity shut out of Blair's eyes and quickly replaced by disgust as the curly haired man stepped back in horror. "Wait! If you have a vampire problem then we can help, Spike is not your problem, the Initiative put a chip in his head, it even affects his spirit guide, he can't hurt anyone human."

"You have a spirit guide?" Blair's eyes flew to meet Spike's.

"So did Alex Barnes!" Jim stated flatly, refusing to allow his Guide to be taken in by his own innate good nature. The older Sentinel felt as if he were fighting a battle on two fronts. Not only did he have to keep his Guide from giving in to his unquenchable thirst for knowledge and his inevitable curiosity about an entire culture hiding in plain sight in the populace at large. He also had to combat his own Sentinel instincts which were shouting 'Trust the Guide' in direct opposition to his Detective instincts that any being that lived on the blood of others could not be trusted.

"Yes Blair, he has a spirit animal, we both do," Xander latched onto Blair's obvious interest and decided to try and play on that. "Spike has a white tiger called Trevor and mine is a hyena called Lex, they first appeared four nights ago in Vacaville, scared the living daylights out of me when I woke up to find a Hyena sleeping on the bed behind me. Then the next night in Eugene they appeared again, but this time they were freaked out by something, their warning saved us from a beating, hell, it might've saved our lives. Four drug addicts kicked down the door of our motel room and tried to rob us. Spike couldn't fight them because they were human, the spirit guides helped but when Trevor took down the last one he was zapped just like Spike would've been. It was horrible, luckily he had recovered and they both disappeared before the police arrived on the scene."

""You named your spirit guide Trevor!" the shock was clear in Jim's face and voice, he found himself wanting more than ever to believe them. Then it struck him, maybe he could, if they could prove that they had been in Eugene three nights ago then that gave them an alibi for the latest murders. Then Xander's earlier words sunk in, "you said that the Initiative put a chip in his head so he can't hurt humans?" the intonation in his voice turned the statement into a question and Xander nodded unsure of where this was leading.

"If this Initiative is working to stop vampires killing then they must be good guys right? can we contact them for confirmation..." Jim had been so sure of himself at first but the peel of laughter invoked by his assumption about the initiative had him more confused than ever and his words faded out.

Xander's sudden amusement at the thought of the Initiative as good guys quickly passed and he tried to explain the facts of life to the struggling Detective who was seeing the fundamental pillars of his life and his belief system dissolving before his very eyes. "The Initiative were a bunch of mad scientists working secretly from an installation hidden beneath UC Sunnydale. They had a unit of soldier boys attached to their command and they sent them out nightly to capture and kill the demons, vampires, anyone they could find. They were experimenting on the soldiers without their knowledge or consent, injecting them with drug cocktails to turn them into super soldiers. It worked too, if you can discount the side-effects. And even with all that their best team couldn't do half the good in a month that the slayer did all on her own every single night."

By this point both Jim and Blair were fully caught up in what they were being told. Honesty and integrity poured off of the young man in front of them and they had absolutely no doubt that every word he said was pure, unvarnished truth.

Seeing that he was finally getting through Xander pressed on, "the problem with the Initiative was that they didn't really understand the world that they had stumbled upon. They didn't discriminate, they upset the natural order of things. They killed or captured any demon they found, regardless of whether they were good or evil. Perfectly peaceful demon tribes that were simply struggling to get by on the fringes of society would be targeted by armed soldiers with just as much ferocity as the real, card-carrying, baby-eating monsters. And that wasn't the worst of it, all those demons they captured, they hacked off the best bits and frankensteined them together to make their own super monster, Adam." The loathing in Xander's voice at the mention of the name was plain to see, even for the non-Sentinel members of his audience.

"So, the Initiative are not the good guys?" Blair deadpanned.

"No, the Initiative were not the good guys" Xander replied putting heavy emphasis on the past tense.

"OK, so you mentioned a Slayer, who's that?" asked Blair.

"Buffy Ann Summers" was the succinct reply.

"AKA Slutty the vampire shagger!" Spike interjected.

Xander turned and slapped Spike on the chest, "not helping bleach boy."

Blair just laughed at their antics, "come on and sit down" and he turned to push Jim towards the farthest couch leaving the meal forgotten on the table.

Seeing the bemused Sentinel simply follow his Guide's urgings Xander felt a huge wave of relief as the tension drained from him. The big man baulked at one point trying to turn back but Blair just pushed him back in the direction he wanted him to go. "They're good guys Jim, get over it, they may be able to help us." The Sentinel clearly decided to trust his Guide's instincts and Jim sat in the centre of the couch and leaned forward elbows on his knees. Blair nodded in satisfaction and sat beside his Sentinel, leaning back so that he could place one hand discretely on the small of Jim's back using the connection to keep his Sentinel grounded.

Spike and Xander shared a look, an entire conversation passing between them without words, 'whipped!' and the reply 'totally!' Then by mutual agreement they moved to take their seats opposite their hosts. "You mentioned exsanguinated corpses?" Xander asked hoping not to have to do the entire vampire / demon / slayer exposition, really Giles was so much better at that whole speech.

"Not so fast, vampires, slayers, we need more information before we can go any further." Blair quickly shot down Xander's hopes of shifting the focus off of himself.

With a resigned sigh Xander started again, "OK, vampire 101 mark 2," and he scanned his audience to see if there would be any further interruptions. Seeing nothing but rapt attention on the faces opposite he continued. "Long, Long ago before humans ever existed demons walked the earth. When mankind appeared men and demons co-existed for a long time but eventually the demons were pushed out. As the last demon left this dimension it fed on a human, mingling their blood and creating the first vampire. Vampires flourished and humankind was in danger of extinction until a group of tribal elders found a solution. They took a young girl and infused her with special powers, speed, strength, an innate fighting ability, everything she needed to fight the monsters that lurk in the dark. She was the first slayer, since then whenever one slayer dies another is called, always a girl of around fifteen years old. Suddenly she finds herself endowed with super human powers and a destiny to fight monsters that most people don't even believe exist. Most slayers don't live more than 2 or 3 years after they are called."

Xander paused in his explanation waiting to see if there were any questions but Jim and Blair simply stared at him with twin expressions of horror on their faces.

"The watchers are a race of stuffy, tweed clad, British types who guide and train the slayers. There is always one watcher assigned to a new slayer to explain to a her about the changes in her life and about her destiny. The watcher then stays with the slayer to help her train to use her gifts and to try to keep her alive as long as possible. The watchers council... well to be honest I don't know what they do, other than make the slayer's life as difficult as possible." Bitterness twisted Xander's usually handsome features into a harsh expression of loathing before he shook it off and continued his lecture.

"Spike is a vampire, he was turned 150 years ago in Victorian London by Drusilla, wonderful woman but crazy as a loon, her sire was Angel and he was the one who taught Spike all he needed to know to survive. His sire was Darla and together the four of them were known as the Scourge of Europe. Together they rampaged across the continent on a killing spree that lasted for the next 50 years, then Darla gave Angel a gift and everything fell apart. She captured a young Romany girl who she offered to her childe, Angel played with her for a while and then killed her. Unfortunately for him she was much loved by her tribe and they cursed him." Xander paused briefly to see if what he was saying was being accepted by his audience only to find them staring with rapt attention.

"You have to understand, when a human is turned the soul moves out and a Demon moves in, the vampire may use your body to do terrible things but you're not there any more. The Gypsies cursed Angel with his soul, they pulled it back out from wherever it had ended up and stuffed it back into his body alongside the Demon. He still knew all the terrible things the Demon had done with his body and he suffered agonies of guilt, he suffered for the next 90 or so years living off the blood of rats and other small mammals until he was offered a chance for redemption. He was shown a small, blonde girl sat on the steps outside of her school, she looked devastated, she had just been told that she was the new slayer and all the dreams that she had had for her life were destroyed. Angel was offered the choice to help her, he took it and the rest, as they say, is history." Xander stopped, lost in the memories of the last seen years since Buffy came in to his life. He knew that in the occasional moment of weakness he might long for the quiet normal life that might have been but in truth he would never change anything.

Jim slumped back as Xander finished, he knew that there was surely more to the story but it was obvious that the young man was exhausted by the recital, any more details could wait. A quick glance assured him that Spike had the young Sentinel well in hand and he turned to survey his own Guide. Blair was still lost in all the possibilities that had unfolded before him, a million questions sparkling inside that curly head. Jim knew that normally Blair was the most compassionate of human beings, however when his intellectual curiosity was as strongly aroused as now he sometimes forgot all else in his thirst for knowledge.

Feeling Blair's intake of breath as he prepared to ask the first of what would surely be several hours worth of questions Jim placed a large hand on the denim clad knee beside him in restraint. "Thank you Xander, I think it's our turn now." Jim leaned forward to open the folder into which all the crime scene photo's and notes had been so hastily stuffed when he'd heard their visitors on the stairs. Now he pulled out all those pictures and spread them on the table once more. "Several months ago we were called to a murder scene. The victim was a young man, he had ligature marks on his ankles and a small puncture wound on his arm. Every drop of blood had been drained from his body. We worked the case hard for the first few days but there were no new leads and eventually it got pushed down the pile by new cases coming in with hotter leads and a better chance of catching the perp. A month later another body was found, the same ligature marks, the same puncture wound, the same cause of death." Jim paused and Blair took up the tale.

"We connected the two cases and after further investigation found several other murders over the last few years, all spread out, four to six months apart. There have been several more murders since, they're getting more frequent and we're seeing more bodies at each crime scene. The latest were found today, four young people killed, suspended by their ankles and drained of blood. We think that they'd been at a local nightclub, we were planning on heading over there after speaking to you guys to see what else we can find out." Blair waited, wondering what their guests would make of the case that had baffled Cascade PD for the last few months.

"One small puncture wound you say?" Xander mused and Blair nodded in confirmation.

"Then it isn't vampires." Xander stated in absolute confidence.

"Why not?" Jim asked interested to hear the young man's justification.

Xander just gestured towards Spike's mouth, "you've seen his fangs, right?" he asked and Spike helpfully extended his vampire canines in a graphic demonstration.

"A feeding vampire will rip and tear, they would only leave small, neat holes if they were turning their victim. Have any of your bodies gotten up and walked away?"

**A/N :** There it is, chapter 12, let me know what you think, please **review.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note :** Hi there, thank you to **Rin Hitokiri, emw314, darkcuriosity, Mika-Mustang, jules3677, AnneWentworth **and** JamiepBlaze** for your reviews, they are much appreciated as always. Here is chapter 13, unlucky for some but not for you guys, hope you enjoy, **please review**.

Chapter 13

Jim and Blair just stared, stunned at the implication. Suddenly Jim plunged his hand into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out his cell phone. Flipping it open he dialled the Cascade morgue from memory and waited impatiently for someone to pick up.

"Hi, it's Ellison, do me a favour, do a quick bed check for the victims in the serial killer case." Jim paused and his audience watched intently straining to hear the other side of the conversation.

Realising that he was the only one unable to hear both sides Blair nudged his partner, "speaker!" he hissed.

Understanding the problem Jim pulled the phone from his ear and quickly pressed the button and another voice burst into the room, "..cent victims?"

"No all of them! I need you to check all the victims still held there." Jim spoke harshly, unable to believe that he was actually considering this.

"But why? What could happen to them? It's not like they could just get up and walk away." The voice at the other end of the phone sounded annoyed at the seemingly random request from the lead Detective on the case.

"Just do it, I'll hold." Jim snapped and they all sat in silence as they heard the receiver at the other end of the line clatter down onto the hard surface of a desk.

Blair stared in frustration at the silent phone before glancing at the other three men. Seeing them all focussed intently on the phone, ears cocked to pick up any sound he felt short-changed at the realisation that he was still the only one unable to hear what was happening in the lower levels of the police department building where the morgue was located. The other men were just as frustrated as Blair, true they could hear much more due to enhanced Sentinel or Vampire hearing, but even so all they could currently hear was disgruntled muttering and clanging of steel doors as the night tech on duty took his own sweet time carrying out the request.

Eventually Blair saw his companions interest perk up and shortly afterwards he heard the sounds of a hand scrabbling at the receiver as it was picked up by the returning tech. "All present and correct. So unless you have any other pointless tasks for me?" the voice paused and at Jim's muttered negative the connection was cut without any further words.

"So it's not vampires." Xander stated with assurance.

"At least not directly," Spike qualified his Sentinel's statement and the two men shared a long look of understanding.

"Not directly?" Blair questioned.

"What does that mean?" Jim asked simultaneously.

Xander nodded to his Guide, waving him forward with a vague gesture to carry on.

"Have either of you heard of hobo signs?" he started his explanation, swiftly running through all that they had seen on their walk the previous night. "So we're thinking that your case and our blood vendor might be connected." Spike concluded.

"So you think someone is killing our victims and draining their blood to sell to the local vampire population?" Blair looked thoughtful as he summed up the wildest theory he'd ever seriously considered.

"But why would vampires pay for blood?" Xander asked confused, "if they want human blood why don't they just take it, the vampires at home don't have any trouble hunting and killing at will." Xander thought back over all the friends he had lost throughout the years, all the classmates who had just not turned up for school one morning, neighbours who'd disappeared. He thought of his best friend Jesse who'd been vamped by Darla long before Spike ever made it to Sunnydale, if vampires could choose to live without killing then why had Jesse tried to kill him, why had he had to stake his best friend? The questions whirled around in his head before being stilled by the cigarette roughened voice of his Guide.

"It's the Hellmouth pet." Spike tried to explain, his mind flashing to the heady feeling of living in Sunnydale, the air itself was infused with power, it was a amazing feeling, the greatest high he'd ever experienced. When they had been travelling together the four members of the Scourge of Europe had never had any qualms about killing and feeding at will but he knew that not all vampires followed the same path. Spike suddenly shuddered at the likely consequences if the four of them had visited Sunnydale in their heyday, he doubted the human race would have survived the experience.

Giving some additional background information for Jim and Blair's benefit he carried on, "Sunnydale is built on a Hellmouth, la boca del infierno, literally the mouth of hell. Even closed demonic energies are constantly leaking through and every so often some numbskull will try to open it and unleash hell on earth. Every time that happens a stronger pulse of chaotic energy is released. It makes for a very heady atmosphere, inhibitions are lowered, aggression heightened, you feel invincible, like nothing can touch you. It sends any vampires who live there, and not a few of the local demons, insane."

Blair decided that it sounded a lot like his College days, he'd been too young to drink having graduated high school several years earlier than his contemporaries. But even so he'd seen how some of his fellow students had reacted to being away from parental control for the first time by pushing the boundaries, drink, drugs. Most pulled themselves together after a while, usually after getting a severe shock when their grades dropped or their tutors scared some sense into them. But there were one or two students every year who's downward spiral couldn't be arrested. Promising young lives, destroyed by drink or drugs as they turned to crime to feed their habit, their morality twisted into the belief that what they wanted they could just take. And if someone got in their way and was hurt, well, they got their just desserts for interfering.

Xander had been thinking ahead throughout Spike's explanation, if the local vampires paid for blood in order to avoid killing, how would they feel if they found out that people were still dying to feed them. "So if we're right, then these vampires presumably think that they are buying blood from a legitimate source," he mused.

"Is there a legitimate source for human blood?" Blair exchanged a bemused look with his partner, he suddenly found himself examining all sorts of new ideas that had never crossed his consciousness before.

Spike and Xander just shrugged, "relatively legitimate, reject blood from hospitals or privately donated for a fee." Spike broke off as Jim snapped his fingers in excitement.

Grabbing up his phone Jim dialled another number "connect me to Robbery," putting his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone he turned his attention back to the others in the room. "If they want to convince their customers that this blood is from a legitimate source then they're probably packaging it like donated blood." Suddenly his attention snapped back to the phone and he pulled his hand away and introduced himself before asking his question. "Have there been any reported equipment thefts from local hospitals or blood donation centres?"

They all watched Jim as he listened intently to the voice on the other end of the phone briefly before interrupting, "No, I'm not interested in drug thefts, just equipment, blood bags, needles anything like that."

The silence in the loft was so intense that even Blair could hear as the nameless voice at the other end of the line suddenly barked "wait!" and the line fell silent.

The four men exchanged hopeful glances, Jim and Blair hoping that maybe, just maybe they'd finally found the break in the case that they'd been praying for. Xander and Spike simply hoped that they would be able to help end the barbaric practice which appeared to be taking place here. Spike had nothing against vampires killing humans, as long as they stayed away from his humans and one in particular. Even so, the thought of humans killing other humans just to make a few bucks selling the blood to vampires who were trying to live without causing harm to others made him very angry. He felt his vampire features fighting to come out, his eyes flashed golden for a moment before he managed to control the wild urges within him. He darted a quick glance at Xander, the sight of the young man seated safely at his side calming his beast as nothing else in his one hundred and some years had ever been able to do before.

"Speaker," Blair reminded Jim once again and just in time Jim hit the buttons and laid down the phone as the other voice returned.

"Hi, you still there?"

"I'm still here, did you find something?" Jim tried to suppress the eagerness in his tone, he wouldn't want to ruin his reputation as a hard-ass.

"Yeah, about two years ago the blood donation centre out in Federal Way reported a break-in, the place was trashed and several boxes of empty blood packets were stolen along with needles, tubing, cotton swabs, medical grade disinfectant. The head nurse said that it was basically everything you'd need for do-it-yourself blood donation. It was weird, who'd want that crap, it was the blood thing that rang a bell when you mentioned it. Anyway, looks like the Detective on the case had one good suspect but couldn't find anything to make a charge stick. Is that the sort of thing you're looking for?"

"That's exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for, who was the suspect?"

They heard the rustle of turning pages for a moment before the voice returned. "Ah, here we are, Dieter Loganschmidt, he was an orderly working at the centre, one of his tasks was the disposal of reject blood, they found out that he was taking the blood packets home instead of destroying them. They didn't want any bad publicity so they terminated his contract, they agreed to provide a good reference for future employers, provided they weren't in the medical industry, in exchange for his promise to go quietly. Two months later the break-in happened, the investigating officers looked into disgruntled ex-employees and Dieter's name sprang to the top of the list. But like I said they couldn't make anything stick."

Jim slumped back in his seat, almost crushing Blair's hand in the process. Slowly a manic grin spread across the burly detective's features, "we've got him" he muttered.

"What was that Detective?" The words floated up from the phone as it rested on the coffee table.

Clapping a hand onto Blair's knee Jim scooped up the phone and started barking rapid fire orders into it, "grab everything you've got on the break-in and on Loganschmidt then take it to Captain Banks in Major Crimes, I'll meet you there in twenty minutes." Barely waiting for confirmation Jim quickly terminated the call and pocketed his phone as he strode across the room shrugging into his jacket as he stood by the door. Turning back he saw Blair gathering up all the paperwork that they had brought home earlier that evening while their two visitors stood looking on in surprise.

"Come on guys, hustle, you're going to have to follow us to the station, there's not enough room in the truck for both of you." While most of his attention was focussed on his Guide Jim still had time to notice the shocked expressions on the faces of the other Sentinel / Guide pair before they were replaced with gratified smiles and the other men moved quickly to find jackets and car keys. It was immediately clear to the experienced detective that these two were not accustomed to receiving credit for their efforts and he vowed to do what he could to change that.

Pulling open the door he stood aside to allow the other three to precede him out of the apartment. As Xander and Spike walked out together he fell in behind them, clapping them on the shoulders, "excellent detective work, you've given us the first lead on this case in months, let's go catch some bad guys." In a newly ebullient mood at the chink of light at the end of the tunnel that was this case he slid between the two men and strode briskly down the corridor. Catching up with Blair he was just in time to pull open the door to the stairwell for his partner who had his arms full of case notes and files.

Five minutes later and the Sunnydale pair were in Xander's car following the battered blue and white truck to the Cascade Police Department building.

"So, that went well," Xander finally had to break the silence.

Spike turned and stared at his companion, "you're kidding, right?"

"OK, I'll admit it could have gone better, but we're both still in one piece aren't we?" Xander finished with a cheerful grin. Things were definitely looking up in his life, he was no longer the lone 'normal' human in the group, Jim and Blair seemed like they would help him to get a handle on his new abilities and he had Spike as his Guide. The first two were good, no getting away from it, the thought of ditching the title of 'Zeppo' was fantastic, but it was the third one that truly gave him warm fuzzy feelings all over. Spike was his Guide, Spike would never leave him and just maybe, if he played his cards right... Xander killed that line of thought, things were going great, no need to jinx it.

Spike enjoyed the look of sheer joy on his Sentinel's face for a moment before turning his attention back to the road, "whatever you say Pet."

"Way to spoil the mood there killjoy," Xander frowned across at his vampire, "we just solved a serial murder case, can't I bask in the afterglow for at least a few minutes."

"It's not solved yet." Spike corrected the younger man. As soon as the words left his mouth he felt the energy in the car drop and a quick sideways glance spotted the frown now adorning Xander's forehead. "But you did good tonight kid," he hurried on, trying to fix the damage his thoughtless words had caused. "I thought we were screwed when I vamped out but you kept your head and talked them around."

Xander's head dropped, "I'm really sorry Spike."

Now Spike was confused, what was the whelp apologising for now, he'd just told him how well he'd done tonight. He meant it too, he'd truly thought they were sunk when Jim mentioned exsanguinated corpses but Xander held it together, got the information and proved Spike's innocence. The kid might not be the strongest fighter in the group, although Spike intended to do his best to change that when they got back, but he kept his cool in a crisis and worked well under pressure. It didn't hurt any that he was mighty easy on the eyes, Spike flashed back to the feeling earlier in the evening when Xander's gently stroking fingers had soothed away his vamp face. Just the memory of that feeling had Spike shifting in his seat as he felt the heavy warmth coiling in his gut. Hurriedly suppressing those feelings he returned to the matter at hand, "what're you apologising for now?"

Xander's nose twitched, was that? Just the faintest hint of arousal teased his nostrils, gone as quickly as it had come and Xander shook it off. "It was my fault, if I'd noticed the garlic earlier you'd never have vamped out, that whole mess could have been avoided." Xander's head was still down and his subdued voice was barely audible, thankfully vampire hearing, whilst no match for Sentinel ears, was still more than sufficient to pick out the soft words in the quiet car.

"Don't beat yourself up over that kid, I'm the one with the garlic problem, I should've checked it myself. Blair must be a very good cook, the food smelled fantastic, most people are really heavy handed with the garlic, but that was so delicate neither of us noticed until the last minute." Spike looked across briefly to see how his words were being received, they should be nearly at their destination by now, he didn't want Xander looking like his puppy had just died when they arrived. That Blair character seemed to be highly protective of his own Sentinel and would probably make no bones of calling Spike on it if he thought the other Guide was abusing his young Sentinel. "Besides, the vampire thing was bound to come out sooner or later, it was probably as well to get it over with, they might well have taken it much worse if they felt we'd been hiding it from them."

Slowly Xander's head came up and a self-deprecating smile graced his lips, "the Zeppo lucks out again I guess."

They'd finally reached the Police Department building and Spike waited until he'd pulled into a space beside Jim's truck before releasing his seat-belt and turning to face his passenger. "Listen to me Xander, I don't care what the cheerleader may have said you're no Zeppo. You saved me from some painful burns tonight, you convinced two virtual strangers that vampires exist and that I wouldn't harm them and you helped solve a serial murder case. You're my Sentinel and my friend and I won't have anyone putting you down, not even you, got it?" By the time he'd finished speaking Spike was leaning right across the central console and seriously encroaching on Xander's personal space but the young man wasn't intimidated, in fact his smile grew.

"It's not solved yet." He parroted Spike's earlier words and with a laugh he released his own seat-belt and climbed out of the car to find Jim and Blair waiting for them. Both men appeared to be struggling to suppress laughter and it suddenly dawned on Xander that Jim was an experienced Sentinel. "How much of that did you hear?" he asked

"Every word, I don't know what this Zeppo thing is about but I do know that Spike is right, you're a good man in a crisis and Blair is an excellent cook." The apparent non-sequiteur confused Xander until he remembered earlier in the conversation. Damn, the two vehicles had been several car lengths apart for most of the journey.

"How did you do that?" he asked "can you teach me?" his boyish enthusiasm was infectious and Jim just laughed and gestured for them to follow as he headed for the elevator.

Blair took pity on the younger Sentinel, "later, come on," and he moved off after Jim.

The four men squeezed into the elevator and headed up to the Major Crimes floor. Jim pushed out as soon as the doors had opened sufficiently to allow him through and strode swiftly down the corridor, the other three close behind him. As soon as he pushed open the double doors to the bullpen they heard Simon Banks voice, he appeared to be berating an unknown man, presumably the robbery detective Jim had spoken to earlier. Swiftly crossing to Banks office he knocked briefly and then led the others inside.

"Hi Simon."

"Jim, Blair, what's going on, this man says you sent him here, and who are these men?" Simon sounded seriously irate, but Jim had high hopes that the news he brought would quickly change that.

"We've got it Simon, we're pretty sure we know what's going on and if this is who I think it is he has a lead on our perps." Jim turned to the mystery man in the office and held out his hand, "Jim Ellison, I'm sorry I didn't get your name earlier."

"Hi Detective, I'm Tom Williamson, Robbery, I've got the files you asked me to bring, what's going on here?" The Detective was an older man, in his early fifties, greying hair just starting to recede at the temples, of medium height, he had a slight paunch overhanging his belt buckle. Overall he conveyed an impression of calm competence and Jim had the feeling that this man would be an asset to the team on their current case.

It was at that moment that he realised that he was about to try to explain vampires to his Captain and a Robbery Detective he had never met before tonight. Stalling for time he turned to introduce his companions, first he waved towards Blair, "this is my partner, Detective Sandburg. These other two are the ones I mentioned to you earlier Simon, Spike and Xander, they're from out of town and are staying in Federal Way, they have some information about our case which ties in with a break-in Detective Williamson's department investigated 2 years ago."

Seeing Blair standing there, practically bouncing with excitement Jim had an idea, a very bad idea. "Detective Sandburg will tell you what we've worked out."

All eyes turned to the curly haired Detective and no-one missed the glare he sent back at his partner, only Blair however saw Jim's brief shrug of apology. 'Huh,' thought Blair, 'if he thinks he's getting off that easy, or at all in fact, he's got another think coming.' A fleeting smile crossed his lips at the unintentional double entendre before he turned his attention to the task Jim had just dumped in his lap.

"OK, we've been investigating the serial killer case, random victims hung by their ankles and drained of all their blood, the kills have been getting more frequent and the number of victims at each crime scene has been increasing. Spike and Xander are from out of town and they have suggested a possible motive for these crimes, they have experience with..." this was the tricky part, Blair just hoped that the other men would support him, if it was just Simon he'd be prepared to try to sell the truth but with the other Detective, an unknown quantity, he had to try and obfuscate. "Cults, they're staying in Federal Way and last evening they were out walking and they spotted some covert signs indicating someone is selling human blood."

"Human blood! Tell me your not suggesting this is the work of vampire wannabes." Simon interrupted his detective, as much as he wanted to find a lead in this case he was concerned that they might be grasping at straws here.

Blair looked at the other men who'd come in with him for support before forging ahead, "not exactly. Detective Williamson has a robbery case, a break-in at a blood donation centre, prime suspect in that case was an ex-employee who had been turned off for stealing reject blood instead of destroying it. We suspect the stolen blood was being sold to vampire wannabes, when that source of blood was cut off they were unwilling to give up a lucrative revenue stream and started killing to keep their customers supplied. Equipment was stolen from the Federal Way blood donation centre so that they could package their product properly, hiding the source of the blood."

"You're saying that they made enough money selling some reject blood from the donation centre that they decided it was worth killing over to keep that cash flow going?" Simon knew that he shouldn't be shocked at the lengths some people were willing to go to in order to make a few bucks but even so this seemed excessive.

Spike decided it was time to help out his fellow Guide, he'd been impressed at the man's creativity, conjuring a story like this on short notice took skill and nerves of steel. Blair had stuck close enough to the truth to sell the story, while avoiding the more outlandish elements which might cause his audience to deny the whole tale. "These wannabes'll pay up to $500 for a pint of fresh human blood, if you say you had four bodies at your latest crime scene that's $16,000 total. We've all seen murder committed for a lot less than that."

The four detective's in the room all shook their heads at that, it was true that you needn't be on the job long to see just how low some held the value of human life. They'd all seen muggings gone wrong where victims had died for their pocket change, shopkeepers killed for the contents of the till, a couple of hundred bucks if the thief was lucky.

"OK, well we don't have anything else to go on, where do you want to go from here?" Simon sounded resigned, he didn't hold out much hope for this 'lead', frankly he suspected his best team might be losing their edge. Still he was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for now on the strength of his long friendship with Jim and even with Blair. Even if that wasn't the case they still had the best solve rate in the department and had earned some leeway with all the long shots that had paid off for them in the past.

"We need surveillance on Loganschmidt and on the butcher shop in Federal Way and anyone who works there." Jim listed out the steps they needed to take next on his fingers, "they're likely to kill again soon if they stick to the recent pattern, if we see any action that looks like they're heading out to kill again we need to be right there to catch them in the act. Meanwhile Blair and I will run down their financials, if this is as lucrative as Spike thinks then we might be able to see something there. Anything else we need to consider?"

Xander raised a tentative hand, "I think Spike and I need to go in and see if we can make a buy," he looked around the room to see who would object first.

Spike was the first to speak, "make a buy! I think someone's been watching too many cop shows!" and he shoulder bumped Xander in a friendly gesture that took the sting out of his words.

"No, the kid's right, if we can get someone in there to get hold of a sample of the blood for DNA comparison with our victims then we can pick these guys up and sweat them in interrogation without having to rely on catching them in the act. But I'm not sure that two outsiders, unknown to the department are the right one's to send in." Simon would much rather get the evidence to pick up the monsters killing in his town without having to put any more citizens at risk.

"It's a good idea, but Spike's the only one who could make it work." Blair spoke up, desperately trying to hit on a reason why it would have to be Spike, and why it would have to be Xander who accompanied him. Personally he would much rather keep the young man out of it, despite what he'd been told about Xander's history fighting the things that go bump in the night, he couldn't help seeing his youth and wanting to protect him.

"Spike has an in with these guys, he's been working deep cover down in California and has built up a backstory with the type of cultists who might be purchasing the product." Jim knew that the fabrication wouldn't hold up under any kind of scrutiny, he just hoped to keep anyone from looking too deep too soon.

Simon looked from one to the other of his Detectives, he knew that there was something more going on here, something that they weren't telling him, unfortunately with Detective Williamson there, an unknown quantity, there was nothing he could do about it and so he decided to go along with their advice. Still, he'd keep the kid out of the line of fire if he could.

"OK, Spike goes in with one of our officers, sorry kid, Xander is it? If Ellison and Sandburg say it has to be Spike I'll go along with it, but there's no way I'm sending someone as young as you into a situation like this, it's too dangerous."

"I'm sorry sir, but that's bullshit!" Xander was too angry to employ any tact, people had been calling him kid all evening and he was getting tired of biting his tongue every time in the interests of cooperation. "If Spike goes in then I go with him, your men have no idea what they could be facing, I've been fighting monsters like these since I was fifteen. Spike is my Gu... good friend and you're not sending him into harms way without me." As he spoke Xander moved slightly to position himself between Spike and the tall, black man his Sentinel instincts proclaiming the need to protect the Guide at all costs.

Simon might be operating on the knife edge of sleep deprivation but he still caught Xander's slip, so this was the new Sentinel and the blonde was his Guide. The palpable air of danger emanating from the shorter man had led him to mistakenly believe it was the other way round. He'd assumed that was part of the reason it was so important that Spike be the one to go in. Hell, he'd even been trying to figure out how he could persuade Jim to allow Blair to go in too if a Guide was needed. He examined his officers, trying to decide where they stood on the matter. Looking at Jim he could see that the big man was at ease with the other two, he'd actually taken care to place himself between Sandburg and the robbery Detective, seeming to trust the other Sentinel even in close proximity to his Guide.

"You're sure Jim?" it didn't need Sentinel senses to see the boy fuming at being ignored in that fashion, regardless Jim was the one Simon had worked with for the longest out of all those in the room, if he had to make a decision with incomplete information then Jim's was the opinion he valued.

"I'm sure Simon, Xander and Spike need to be the ones to do this." The absolute confidence in Jim's voice was impossible to ignore and Simon simply nodded his head.

"Right, Xander and Spike will be going in to try get more information, gather anything you need and we'll convene in the conference room in 5 minutes."

The next several hours were spent gathered around the long table in the conference room planning the details of the operation ahead. At first Simon was still wary about sending Xander in on a sensitive mission like this one. However after seeing the way the two men worked together and how the young man held his own in the planning session making several astute observations and offering valuable suggestions he was feeling far happier about the prospect.

Finally at 4am Simon called a halt, they had pinned down as many details of the plan as possible. Surveillance schedules had been worked out and Spike and Xander had been drilled on the strict limits of their role when they went in to the butcher shop. Williamson called out a cheerful goodnight as he headed off to the stairs to make his way back down to the Robbery Division. That left Simon alone with the two Sentinel / Guide pairs.

"I know you've been hiding something from me all evening, now that Williamson is gone would you care to enlighten me?" he asked.

"Take my word for it Captain, you don't want to know" called out Blair cheekily as he followed his Sentinel into the elevator and pressed the button for the parking level.

The elevator quickly reached the correct floor and the doors slid quietly open. Jim and Blair headed for the truck as Spike realised that the excitement of the evening had finally caught up with Xander. The young man was practically asleep on his feet. Gently urging him forward Spike steered Xander towards the car and in through the passenger door. By this time the other two men had seen how exhausted Xander was and turned to see if they could help.

"'We're fine, he's worn out is all, I'll get him back to the room and he'll be fine after some sleep. Pick us up at dark and we'll get this show on the road."

"We'll be there a bit earlier if that's alright, there are some useful tricks we can teach Xander with his Sentinel abilities since we can't risk giving either of you an earpiece for two way communication." Blair suggested.

"No problem," Spike reassured the Cascade Detective's and climbing in behind the wheel he quickly fastened Xander's seatbelt before peeling out of the parking lot with a jaunty wave out of the window.

Twenty minutes later they were back in Federal Way and pulling up outside their motel room. Xander was completely asleep by this time and Spike, loath to disturb the sleeping man carried his slumbering form into the room and settled him carefully on the bed, pulling off sneakers and jeans leaving Xander in t-shirt and shorts.

Fixing a quick snack for himself Spike noticed that they were down to the last few containers of the pig's blood they had brought with them from Sunnydale. They'd have to see about replenishing his stock before long.

Soon the only sound marring the silence of the room was the quiet breathing of one exhausted Sentinel as Spike curled around the warm body in his bed and slipped gently into sleep.

**A/N :** There it is, what do you think? **Please review.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note :** Hi there, sorry not to have posted last weekend, we were away for a few days and then when we got back I started my new job so it's been all go all week. Thanks go to **ObscureEnough, darkcuriosity, AnneWentworth **and** jules3677** for your reviews.

This chapter has been edited to remove the more adult elements, anyone over the age of 18 who wishes to read the unexpurgated version can find it at adult fan fiction. net at http:/ buffy. adultfanfiction. net / story. php? no= 600091907 as always, remove the spaces to get the URL.

**Chapter 14**

Spike woke quickly, he was used to waking up with an armful of Xander these days but something was different this time, something was wrong. Instead of sleeping peacefully, Xander was moaning and beginning to fight his arms. He immediately feared that the young Sentinel was suffering from a nightmare. Grasping the hip under his hand he gave it a gentle shake while softly calling the young man's name. Although nightmares had been a problem after Xander's encounter with the Xeljax he'd rarely suffered with one since he and Spike started sharing a bed. However after the revelations of the previous evening it didn't surprise the vampire at all that Xander would have bad dreams.

The gentle shaking didn't pull Xander out of whatever horror was tormenting his sleeping mind and so Spike worked to pull his left arm out from where it lay trapped beneath his distressed Sentinel. Finally pulling free Spike managed to push himself up so that he was propped on one elbow and even in the dim light he could clearly see that this was no nightmare. Instead of the look of fear he had expected to see on the handsome face he saw need, even lust. His boy was having a wet dream and it looked to be a good one. Certain parts of Spike's anatomy sat up and began to take notice, and all that delicious squirming wasn't helping. The gentle rocking of Xander's hips causing his boxer-clad ass to brush over Spike's growing arousal with each backwards move.

Deciding that discretion was the better part of valour Spike eased himself back, disentangling his body from the striving form in his arms. Much as Spike would have loved to stay, maybe even help his Sentinel achieve completion, he knew Xander would not appreciate being taken advantage of in that way. The boy wasn't gay, not even bi, as he'd informed the team repeatedly over the years. Unfortunately for Spike's good intentions Xander's sleeping mind had no intention of allowing the divinely hard body behind him to leave and questing fingers clutched at the hand slowly retreating from his hip pulling it down to where it was needed most.

Caught by surprise Spike did not fight the pull and quickly found himself with his hand pressed up tight against Xander's pulsing heat. A deep groan rumbled through Spike's chest and an involuntary thrust of his hips pushed his own length hard into the cleft of Xander's perfect ass. Suddenly Xander's body went rigid, his grip on Spike's wrist clamping down almost painfully tight. At first Spike thought Xander had woken up but looking at his face he realised that that wasn't the case. The expression on the face before him was unreadable although it was quite clear that the young man was still asleep, his throat was working as if he was trying to say something. Finally he muttered a single word that doused Spike's ardour more surely than a bucket of cold water ever could have. "Anya."

Intense hurt flashed across the vampire's face and suddenly uncaring of whether or not he woke the sleeping man Spike ripped his hand free and rolled off of the bed. As his feet hit the floor he was immediately moving, three swift strides carrying him to the bathroom door. His hand was twisting the doorknob when his flight was arrested by the panicked voice from behind him. "Spike?"

He paused for a moment before dropping his head in resignation, despite the unexpected pain that had ripped through his heart as he had realised that Xander was caught up in a wet dream about his ex he couldn't ignore his Sentinel's anguish. Turning back towards the bed he saw Xander groping across the bed, feeling for something whilst peering through the dark, apparently too distressed to remember his Sentinel abilities.

"I'm here Pet," Spike kept his voice soft, battling down the irrational feeling of betrayal that threatened to overwhelm him. Confusion was nibbling at the edge of Spike's mind, although he was now sure that it had been an erotic dream, Xander was reacting more like he'd woken from the nightmare that he had at first suspected. Regardless of his own feelings it was a Guide's number one priority to take care of his Sentinel. "What's wrong?"

"You're alright! Thank God." Xander broke off, the relief in his voice obvious. Drawing up his knees he sat hunched on the bed for a moment before bringing up his hands to scrub vigorously at his hair as if trying to erase the images from his brain. "I dreamed...Shit" Anger was in every line of Xander's body, in every movement he made as he flung his legs over the edge of the bed as if to stand, only to slump in dejection a moment later.

It was clear to Spike now that there was more to Xander's dream, whatever it had been, than the obvious. He only knew a vague outline of why the demon bint had left but something was definitely screwy here. It had all happened before Xander's kidnap, before Spike had started to look closer at the young scooby, before he'd seen the inner strength that kept him fighting against overwhelming odds. That wasn't important now, Xander was. Moving around to where the young man sat he crouched down before his Sentinel, reaching up for the hands entangled in Xander's hair he gently tugged them free before pulling their entwined hands down to rest in Xander's lap.

"Shhh, it's alright, I'm right here," crouching in front of his Sentinel Spike kept his voice gentle, unconsciously soothing the primitive being within his friend. Using his thumbs he massaged whatever he could reach of Xander's large hands without disentangling their fingers, the contact soothing to them both.

He stayed like that for some time, crouching before his Sentinel, crooning nonsense to soothe the frantic man. At last he felt the tension begin to leave Xander's body and urged the dark-haired man to lie back against the pillows. It was awkward to shift position without the use of his hands but Xander apparently had no intention of releasing him anytime soon. Even so, Spike quickly had them both situated to his satisfaction with Xander reclining against the headboard and Spike himself perched on the edge of the mattress. Their still joined hands now resting on the human's abdomen, gently rising and falling with his breathing.

"Do you want to talk about it Pet?" Spike asked carefully, his voice roughened by emotion as he found himself torn between the need to help his Sentinel and the equally urgent need not to hear details of Xander's erotic dreams about the demon chit.

Xander dropped his chin and stared in the direction of their joined hands, unconsciously squeezing tightly as if afraid that Spike would pull away. Wondering at Xander's reticence it took Spike a few moments to realise that the younger man was still blinded by the dark, too distraught to use his Sentinel abilities to make efficient use of the infinitesimal amount of light penetrating the heavy black out curtains. Attempting to pull one hand free he made to turn on the light but Xander understood his intentions and tightened his grip even more.

"No, leave it off, I don't know if I can do this in the light." Xander spoke, resignation clear in his voice. Xander was sure that what he had to say would damage his fragile friendship with Spike but lying was not an option.

"You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, but it might help." Spike felt like cringing as he heard himself offering the boy a way out, recognising that it was as much about him avoiding having to listen to the details as it was about saving Xander from having to recount the dream.

"No, you need to know this, just..." Xander broke off and Spike would have sworn the boy was fighting back tears. However after several slow, deep breaths Xander managed to pull himself together and continue. "Just, don't hate me, please."

Now it was Spike's turn to be glad of the darkness, he was beginning to become seriously concerned about whatever it was Xander had to tell him and was sure that his fear was writ large across his features. Finally pulling one hand free he reached up to cup his Sentinel's jaw, "never happen luv," he assured him, "never happen."

Spike felt the muscles under his hand quirk upwards in a brief smile before he dropped his arm back down to entwine his fingers with Xander's once more.

Xander took a deep breath and slipping back into the memory of his dream he began to speak.

Haltingly Xander began to speak, outlining his dream, explaining the feelings that had flooded through him in his dream as he and Spike had explored each other's bodies. The anguish was clear in is voice as he relayed how, just as they were each reaching their climax Anya had appeared and accused Xander of infidelity despite the fact that they had been broken up for several months. Finally he related how Anya had ripped open the curtains to the room, flooding it with sunlight, causing Spike to instantly combust while still embracing Xander.

"That was when I woke up and you weren't there." Xander's voice trembled as he remembered the horror of feeling his lover incinerated whilst buried deep within his own body. "I was so scared."

Spike was stunned at the truth about Xander's dream. He'd been so hurt to think that Xander still wanted his ex, now, knowing that it was him the boy wanted after all he felt his unbeating heart expand within his chest.

A salty tang carried on the air and he realised that the boy was crying, without thought he pulled the shaking Sentinel to him and enfolded the slightly larger form in his arms. Crooning nonsense words of love into Xander's ear he rubbed soothing hands across the broad back allowing the boy to bury his face in the junction between shoulder and neck.

Holding his Sentinel as the boy struggled to regain his composure Spike thought back over Xander's earlier words. Had his love really thought that Spike would hate him for the content of the dream. Wait a minute! His Love? Where had that come from. Spike had to concede that it was true, but still, he hadn't intended to act on it until after their return to Sunnydale as he was unwilling to complicate this trip any further than it already was.

Delay was no longer possible but reassuring his Sentinel was no hardship. Xander's sobs had stopped and the boy lay quiet against his shoulder. Spike smoothed back the softly curling brown hair and gently kissed the skin below Xander's ear. "Better luv?"

Xander pulled back slowly, wiping away the tears from his cheeks with work calloused fingers. This time Xander didn't object when Spike reached over to flick on the bedside lamp and soon they were both bathed in a warm, golden glow.

Warily watching the vampire Xander finished drying his face before speaking. "You don't mind?" he asked, confusion clear in his tone.

"That you're having wet dreams about me?" Spike asked, a smug grim struggling to escape.

Xander just nodded, unnerved by Spike's reaction.

"Only if you're not interested in trying out the real thing." This time Spike could not suppress the smirk that crossed his face.

Xander looked up at Spike now, hope shinning in his gorgeous brown eyes only to dim as he remembered the end of the dream. "But, what if she..." he broke off, unable to finish the thought.

"You're worried about demon girl coming back?" Spike asked and Xander could only nod in reply.

"I never heard why she left." Spike allowed some of his curiosity to show through, "can you tell me what happened?"

Xander nodded again before pushing at the blanket twisted around his legs as if to get up.

"Where are you going? Spike asked and Xander stilled before rubbing his hand down his throat.

"Water" he murmured and Spike realised he must be hoarse after recounting the events of his dream on top of all the talking of the previous evening.

"I'll get it" and Spike moved quickly across to the kitchenette to find a clean glass and fill it with chilled water from the small fridge.

Returning to the bed he found that Xander had shifted around and pulled back the covers. Spike accepted the mute invitation and crawled in beside the warm body of his soon to be lover. Xander took a long sip of the soothing water and then placed the glass on the bedside cabinet before nestling himself in Spike's cool embrace.

"OK Pet?" Spike asked as he held his Sentinel close.

"It was about three months ago." Xander began, tentative at first, but he quickly lost himself in the memory of that horrible night. He and Anya had been curled up together on the couch watching some game show on the TV. Anya loved to watch the contestants when they won the big money prizes, it filled her avaricious little heart with an unholy glee. She was on the edge of her seat in anticipation as the little housewife from North Platte, Nebraska desperately searched for the answer that would win her the night's big prize when suddenly all power in the apartment blacked out plunging them into darkness. Seconds later a bright light appeared behind them and as they stood and turned towards it they saw D'Hoffryn appear from nowhere, standing as if in a spot light whilst the rest of the room remained dark.

Pulling his fiancée behind him Xander addressed the Master of the vengeance demons. "What are you doing here?"

A flick of the horned demon lord's wrist had Xander flying across the apartment and pinned helpless to the wall. As Xander tried to protest a horizontal slash of two fingers in the air sealed his lips and he could only watch in horror as Anya faced her ex-employer alone.

"Anya my dear, how are you?" D'Hoffryn asked kindly, ignoring the human spread-eagled against the wall, pinned like a bug under glass.

"I'm well Master, thank you." Anya replied politely whilst shooting sidelong glances towards Xander. She hoped D'Hoffryn wasn't going to kill him, it had taken long enough to break in this one, training up another would seriously reduce her orgasm opportunities for weeks, maybe even months.

"Excellent, and how are you finding life as a human, are you missing your powers?" D'Hoffryn maintained a friendly, conversational tone which made the whole situation more surreal in Xander's eyes.

"Life as a human is bearable but I miss my powers more than I ever thought possible." Hope soared in Anya though she tried to match the demon's tone not wanting to give away just how much she longed for the return of her demon status.

"It has been brought to my attention that it is demeaning to the other vengeance demons to have you shacked up here in connubial bliss with this...human." D'Hoffryn spat the final word with a look of disdain in Xander's direction.

Xander struggled harder but to no avail and he could only watch as Anya stood before her lord and waited for him to speak again.

Seeing the eagerness in Anya's eyes D'Hoffryn smiled an unpleasant smile. "I've come to offer you your old job back, on one condition."

"Anything Master, Anything" Anya's agreement was instantaneous and unconditional, she could not conceive of anything that would be too onerous if it resulted in the return of her powers.

D'Hoffryn's smile broadened as he searched her face for any sign of an emotion other than the eagerness she displayed so clearly. "You must never see this..." sneering he flicked his fingers dismissively at the young man still held securely against the wall, "again!"

Without even sparing Xander so much as a single glance Anya stepped around the sofa and tucked her hand into the crook of the demon's elbow. Smiling brightly up at the Lord of Arashmaharr, her only words were "shall we go?"

Directing an indulgent smile down at the young woman D'Hoffryn gently patted her small hand and with one thought he whisked them both away from the human realm.

"He left me hanging on that wall all night, the power came on as soon as they left so I was stuck watching crappy game shows until the spell finally released me at dawn the next day. To add insult to injury I nearly lost my job that day, I was so tired and stiff and sore from hanging on that blasted wall all night that I completely messed up at work. I just managed to talk the boss round with a lot of begging and even swearing on my mother's life that it would never happen again."

"Babbled the poor bloke into submission eh?" Spike felt sorry for the unknown foreman. He'd been subjected to concentrated Xander babble a time or two himself, it was a fate he wouldn't wish upon his worst enemy.

"Yeah," Xander shrugged ruefully, "unfortunately a little over a month later the Xeljax happened and that was it, I'd used up my last chance and he wouldn't listen to a word I said when I got back."

Suddenly Spike found himself feeling less sympathetic to Xander's ex-boss.

Having finished recounting his tale Xander found that he actually felt lighter somehow for sharing the details. Of course he'd had to tell Giles and the girls that Anya was gone and had spun some line about her needing to find herself. It seemed however that he needn't really have bothered as aside from the mandatory sympathetic noises they had shown little interest and had quickly moved on.

"That's right, I thought it sounded a little corny, even for the demon bitch," Spike struck a theatrical pose, head turned slightly to the left, nose held high, hand pressed dramatically to his chest as he exclaimed in a pompous tone "I need to find myself"

Xander chuckled from his position curled against Spike's side, held protectively in the crook of the vampire's elbow. "I don't know, I thought it was just corny enough, she never was a great one for originality."

Spike just grinned as he released his pose, happy that he'd been able to lighten Xander's mood somewhat. Removing the hand from his chest he carefully brushed back the hair from Xander's brow and pressed a chaste kiss to his love's forehead. Glancing at the clock on the wall he saw that it was still early, they had several hours yet before they could expect Jim and Blair to arrive. "Do you think you can get back to sleep now?" he asked quietly and at Xander's sleepy "hmmm" he realised the whelp was almost there already.

Reaching across the sleeping man in his arms Spike flicked off the light and settled down happy in the knowledge that apparently Xander wasn't as straight as he had thought.

**AN :** Well, there it is, let me know what you think in a review.


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note : Hi there, sorry for the delay, chapter 5 of Piercing the Veil has been giving my some trouble. Thank you **AnneWentworth** for the review, just the one last chapter, it was much appreciated. Please read, enjoy and review.

Chapter 15

The drive back to the loft was accomplished in silence. It had been a long day and both men were tired but that wasn't the only reason for the lack of conversation. There was a tenseness in the atmosphere within the truck that had Jim on edge, whilst Blair sat staring out of the side window and internally fuming at the stunt his partner had pulled earlier.

Pulling into the parking lot outside 852 Prospect Jim engaged the parking brake and killed the engine before slumping back in his seat. "Chief," he turned to face his stony faced Guide but Blair was already slipping out of his seatbelt.

"Not now Jim" was all the younger man would say as he climbed out of the truck and headed inside.

It was a dejected Sentinel who followed his seething Guide into the building and up the stairs. By the time Jim walked in to the apartment Blair was already at the door of his small room.

"Chief," Jim called again and to his immense relief Blair stopped in the doorway of his room and turned to face him.

"What do you want from me Jim?" the words were harsh, far more so than Jim was used to hearing from his easy-going partner.

"Chie...Blair, I'm sorry," Jim made to step forward but a swiftly raised hand from the younger man stopped him in his tracks.

"Do we have to do this now? I'm tired, I'm angry and we have only a few hours before we need to be back at the station" Blair asked angrily, but just looking at his Sentinel answered that question. It was obvious that Jim wasn't going to let this drop. "Right" Blair muttered under his breath and reversing his course he took his seat on the couch. Back in the place he'd been when Spike had first expounded all this weirdness about hellmouths and the thriving trade in human blood. Back in the place that had seen so many revelations over the last few days Blair felt a strange sense of déjà-vu.

Gesturing Jim to the seat opposite Blair pulled his legs up to sit cross-legged as, with closed eyes, he leaned his head against the back of the couch for a moment before rallying and facing the source of his ire.

"I'm sorry, I know you're angry, and you have every right to be..." Jim broke off as he saw Blair shaking his head sadly.

"Yes I'm angry Jim, do you even know why I'm angry?" Blair asked with a resigned tone.

"Because I dumped the responsibility for the explanation on you without warning?" Although the words formed a statement the tone was questioning.

"It's not so much that you dropped me in it with no warning, as it's that you always do the same thing. You're perfectly happy to do the talking when it's all good and normal. Yes Simon, we've figured it out, we know what's going on!" Blair's tone dropped on the last words in a bluff parody of his Sentinel's voice. "But when it's something weird or supernatural, Sentinel stuff, Ghosts or heaven help us all, vampires! Then you hand it off to me without so much as a bye your leave."

Jim was stunned at the sudden attack and his first instinct was to defend himself, "but Blair, you're the expert on all the weird stuff, your anthropological background..."

"No! That's not going to cut it Jim, sure if you're talking about the myths and legends then I could reel off all sorts of information, from Lilith, Lilit or Lilitu, first wife of Adam, kicked out of Eden because of her feminist views, the Sumerian Ekimmu, the Nepalese Lord of Blood, from India we have the Rakshasa and the Baital, the ancient Greeks had the Lamia, the ancient Chinese had the Chiang-shih or hopping corpse. Oh, you'll like this one Jim, the Conchus from Peru who are believed to have been devil worshippers who drank the blood of the young. Or what about my personal favourite, the Penanggalen from Malaysia, a disembodied head with dangling entrails that seek out the blood of the innocent." Here Blair stopped and glared across at Jim, almost challenging him to speak, but Jim knew better than that. He was already on shaky ground with his Guide, there was no way he was going to make the mistake of interrupting before Blair had had a chance to get everything off of his chest.

"Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I didn't see any phosphoric green glow, no snakeish body parts and definitely no dangling entrails!" Whilst Jim normally enjoyed watching as Blair cut some hapless cop or public defender down to size, he found that having that same sarcasm turned on him was far from a laughing matter.

"I thought not! I know about the vampire myths, but even though I was kicked out of academia, I still know how to research. I'm not going to let millennia old stories get in the way when I have the chance to talk to a genuine vampire and find out the truth behind the legends. When it comes to the truth about vampires you know exactly as much as I do, we were both here, we both listened to Spike and Xander. Nothing in my _anthropological background_ gave me any great advantage tonight. You've gotten into the habit of handing the tricky bits off to me and I don't like it. We could have talked about it in the truck on the way over, you could have asked me. That's all I'm saying." Blair sagged forward, defeated and his hands came up to rub his temples. He hadn't missed the way Jim had flinched when he had mentioned how his academic career had ended. He had not intended to hurt the older man with his words but he'd needed to get some things out into the open.

"I'm sorry Jim, I didn't mean to..."

"No, you're right, you gave up everything for me and I've just been taking you for granted. It's the same thing we talked about the other night. Give me another chance, I can do better, just keep telling me when I screw up." The earnest entreaty in Jim's voice broke through the haze of tiredness and frustration that enshrouded Blair's mind. Uncurling his legs Blair pushed himself to his feet and stepped around the low coffee table to stand at Jim's side.

Extending his hand he stood and waited for a few moments until Jim looked up to meet his gaze. "Come on" was all he said as he wiggled his fingers slightly. Uncertainly the Sentinel twisted to face his Guide and reached out to take the proffered hand. With a firm tug, Blair pulled his partner to his feet, "come on" he repeated and led the larger man to the steps up to the mezzanine level where Jim slept.

It was awkward climbing the narrow steps without releasing the hand of the man behind him but Blair managed it. After waiting a moment for Jim to reach the upper level Blair pulled him across the floor so that they were both stood beside the large bed that filled much of the space in the small area. Stepping into the taller man's personal space Blair pulled Jim's head down and gently kissed him. A soft chaste kiss at first but then, gaining in confidence, Blair flicked out his tongue, lapping at the closed lips with a series of tiny, kitten licks. Groaning deeply as arousal soared through him, Jim wrapped his arms firmly around his Guide and pulled their bodies tight together as he opened his lips, allowing the warm invader entrance.

They remained that way for several minutes, bodies pressed closely together, tongues duelling as each sought to devour the other. Eventually the need to breathe became paramount and they broke apart, but not far. Eyes still closed, heads tilted down they rested with foreheads touching as their warm breaths mingled gently in the pre-dawn light.

Finally Blair broke the silence, "we need to sleep" he murmured, unwilling to break the moment that they had shared.

Jim chuckled softly, "you take the left hand side, I sleep on the right."

Blair just nodded tiredly and reluctantly they separated each stripping down to boxers and t-shirts before they crawled under the covers together and Blair nestled down in Jim's arms to rest. As his eyes slipped closed and his mind sank into the peace of sleep one thought floated through his head. "Home at last!"

Jim awoke slowly, revelling in the warm body clasped tightly in his arms. Even as tired as he had been he hadn't expected to be able to sleep when he lay down. However as he enfolded his Guide in his arms the Sentinel felt at peace in a way that he had never experienced before. As he buried his nose in the soft, brown curls of Blair's hair and breathed in the familiar scent of his Guide he knew that all was right with his world. Slowly their heartbeats synchronised and he was pulled into sleep behind the man who owned his heart.

Now, drifting back to wakefulness he felt surprisingly well rested. Shifting carefully so as not to wake Blair he peered through the mass of curls to see the clock on his bedside table. 8:05, barely three hours sleep and he felt as good as he had the previous morning after a full eight hours. Looking down at Blair's sleeping face he chuckled, now that was one experiment he would have no objection to taking part in.

A sound that Blair had not heard in a long time tugged at his unconscious mind, slowly pulling him back to wakefulness. As he woke he felt the gentle shaking of the warm body wrapped so intimately around his own. Rolling onto his back within the encircling arms he opened his eyes and smiled up into Jim's laughing face. "You're cheery this morning." He commented.

"I am," was Jim's only reply before the larger man leaned down to kiss Blair's smiling lips.

As the kiss ended a low hum of appreciation reverberated from the Shaman as his eyes fluttered open once more. "Hmmmmm, not that I'm complaining, but what brought that on?"

"Nothing, just, I love you," Jim realised he was on the verge of rambling and shut up quickly.

"I love you too." Blair answered, "now what had you so amused when I woke up?"

"Nothing, just..." Jim broke off as he realised he was repeating himself. Taking a deep breath he started over. "I was just considering the beneficial effects of sleeping wrapped around my guide. I've had barely three hours sleep and I feel rested and raring to go. Don't you feel it?"

"Actually, now you come to mention it I do feel something." Blair spoke with a sly grin, emphasizing his words with a sideways shift of his hips as he nudged the large protuberance that had been poking him in the side since he had rolled over.

Jim's eyelids dropped closed and a groan issued from deep within his chest as his hips thrust forward reflexively meeting the pressure exerted by his Guide.

Blair felt the desire coiling within his gut at the need that he saw writ large across his Sentinel's face. Maintaining the sideways pressure he reached up to curl a hand around the back of Jim's neck, pulling the larger man back in for another intense kiss.

It was only with an extreme effort that Jim was able to eventually draw back from the divine taste of his Guide. It took several deep breaths before his was able to open his eyes, and a few more before he could speak. "Chief, it kills me to say this but we need to slow down."

Blair had to allow the words to percolate through his brain for several seconds before he was able to extract their meaning. As soon as the understanding hit though, it was immediately followed by a wave of disappointment that he struggled to hide. "Of course Jim, you're not ready" and he turned his head to hide his face against Jim's strong chest.

That forced a rueful chuckle from Jim and he brought up a hand to gently card his fingers through Blair's luxurious curls. "Oh I'm ready Chief, I'm more than ready" and he emphasized the words with another gentle nudge of his hips.

"Huh?" Blair rolled back, just a little, so that he could peer up with just one eye.

"I want you, probably more than I've ever wanted anything in my life, but not like this, not just a quickie, wham bam thank you man before we rush off to work. I want to wait until we can take our time and do this right."

"Ah Jim, and I thought you didn't have a romantic bone in your body." Blair pressed a firm kiss to Jim's t-shirt covered chest before pulling himself away with a visible effort.

Another groan wracked the Sentinel's body, "Blair, you're not making this any easier."

"Sorry Jim," but the smile on Blair's face belied the apology in his words, as did the long slow kiss he laid on his partner before rolling out of the bed. "Dibs on the first shower" he called laughing before he headed off down the steps.

"Tease" called Jim as he lay back on the bed, thanking his lucky stars once more that he had woken up to what was in front of him in time, before Blair had walked out of his life for good.

Shaking off his thoughtful mood Jim padded down the steps and over to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for both of them. Half an hour later they were both fed, showered, dressed and in the truck heading back to the Police Department building. Walking into the bullpen Jim was unsurprised to see Simon already working at his desk. Shoulder bumping Blair, Jim nodded over to the glass walled office. Shooting a quick glance in that direction Blair nodded agreement before heading over to their shared desk to make a start on the paperwork for today's recon mission at the butcher shop in Federal Way.

Meanwhile Jim crossed the office and after rapping briefly on the glass of Simon's door he pushed it open and stepped inside. "Morning Simon," he called out closing the door behind him. Simon looked up slowly, his eyes bloodshot from the lack of sleep, tiredness evident in every line of his face.

"Shit Simon! You look like crap!" Jim was shocked at his captain's appearance, "did you get any sleep last night?"

Hanging his head and rubbing his eyes Simon sighed. "When was I supposed to sleep? Do you know how much groundwork needs to be done?" Only now seeming to notice that Jim was alone Simon looked through the glass walls of his office to see Blair settling down at their desk. "Speaking of which, where are your friends, there's a lot we need to go over with them if they are going to go into that shop as representatives of Cascade PD."

"Blair and I will be meeting with them in their Motel room this afternoon to bring them up to speed with everything they need to know." Jim explained.

Sudden anger bought life back to Simon's eyes, "No Jim, that's not good enough. If they want to be a part of this operation then they need to get their asses down here now!"

"That's not going to happen Simon." Jim paused realising that this was the point where he would normally hand off to Blair. Thinking over their brief argument of the night before Jim took a deep breath before continuing. "Sit down Simon, there's more going on here than we were able to tell you last night with Williamson in the room."

Sitting back down Simon waved off his Detective, "I know, Xander is a Sentinel and Spike is his Guide. I'd have sworn it was the other way round but I did pick up on Xander's almost slip last night. That doesn't get them any special consideration."

"Yeah, about that, there was something else we wanted to tell you about them, you see there's something more about Spike..."

"Well spit it out man, or do I need to get Blair in here to tell me what's going on?" Simon's raised voice carried through to the bullpen and even without enhanced hearing the curly haired Detective clearly heard his words.

Turning to follow Simon's gaze Jim saw the questioning look on Blair's face as the younger man started to push up from his chair, but Jim waved him away. Jim was pleased to see that his partner sank back down and immediately immersed himself once more in the paperwork that had built up on his desk in the few hours that they had been away.

"Spike hasn't been working deep cover..." Jim paused as Simon slumped down.

"Is he even a cop?" Simon asked, resignation clear in his voice.

"No." At least that was one question that Jim could answer simply.

"OK, just tell me he's not one of these vampire wannabe's." Another straight forward question, maybe this wasn't as hard as Blair made it out to be.

"No, he's not a vampire wannabe." Jim answered with absolute conviction and honesty.

"That's good," Simon sounded hopeful until he noticed the cagey look still on Jim's face. "What is he then?" he asked warily.

And so it came, the moment Jim had dreaded and suddenly he knew, if anything Blair made this look so much easier than it really was. "Ok, don't freak out Simon, Spike is a vampire."

"A vampire." Simon sounded dubious, maybe the lack of sleep was catching up with him, because he was pretty sure his top Detective had just told him that he'd shaken hands with a vampire the previous night.

"Yes Simon, a genuine, card-carrying, blood drinking vampire, problems with stakes, garlic, crosses, the whole nine yards. That's why they won't be able to make it to the station today. Blair and I have arranged to meet up with them this afternoon, we'll go over everything they need to know as well as some extra Sentinel stuff that will be helpful. Then we'll accompany them to the site of the operation after dark." Jim waited to see how Simon would take these latest revelations.

"OK, I need to get some sleep, I'd have sworn you just said that vampires are real and you brought one into MY office."

"It's true Simon, we were sitting down to dinner last night and just as Spike was about to take a mouthful of Blair's stew Xander smelt the garlic. He stopped Spike before he ate anything but..." Jim paused as he relived those frantic minutes as his entire world view was changed forever. "You should have seen it Simon, his face just changed, his eyes turned golden, he had these heavy brow ridges, hell he even grew fangs. It was the weirdest thing I've ever seen."

Now Simon was just confused, "you mean you had a vampire in your apartment and you didn't notice anything odd until after you sat down to dinner with him?"

"You've seen him, he's more Billy Idol than Count Dracula. I mean it's not like I ever thought I'd need to check strangers on the street for a heartbeat or body temperature. If they're walking and talking then I generally assume that the people I meet are alive." Jim shook his head, it was so strange to think that his entire world view had changed so drastically in the last twelve hours. "I've learned to keep the dials on my senses to a fairly normal level, if I didn't then I'd spend half my life in a zone-out. Last night I was a little on edge, meeting a new Sentinel will do that to me, so I had the dials turned up a little, just enough to give me a heads up if anything threatened Blair. Everything I had was concentrated on Xander, he's the Sentinel, if there was any threat it should have come from him. Spike, he lit up every light on my Guide detector, my only instinct regarding him is to trust and protect. When I saw his face change like that, it felt like I was torn in two."

"Wait, you have a Guide detector! When did that happen?" The revelations were coming thick and fast now, it was strange that even with all the years that these two men had been friends they had never really sat down and talked about the changes in Jim's life since his Sentinel abilities had manifested.

"When I met Blair I think, no-body else ever tripped it until now, suddenly all those feelings that meant Blair, now I'm getting the same vibes from Spike." Now it was Jim's turn to sound confused as he worked through the unfamiliar emotions evoked by the blonde Brit. No that wasn't true, the emotions weren't unfamiliar, it was having them associated with someone who wasn't Blair that was unfamiliar.

"It's so strange Simon, Blair and I had to work so hard to make this work, you were there, you saw how hard I fought against him at the start but he pushed and pushed until he earned my absolute trust. Now I think he could tell me to jump out of that window and I'd trust that there was a damn good reason why it had to be done. Suddenly Spike is benefiting from that absolute trust that Blair worked so hard to earn."

"So you're saying that Spike and Blair incite the same emotions in you?" Simon was worried now, they were placing a lot of faith in Spike on Jim's say-so. If that faith was misplaced due to some weird Guide thing then tonight could go south very quickly and in a spectacular way.

"It's the same, and it's not the same. I don't know, Blair is different, he's mine, you know. But Spike, he's the same, he's Guide and Guide is trust. At first it was like there were two people inside of me, the Sentinel trusts the Guide implicitly but the man cannot trust a creature that lives on the blood of others." It was odd, working through something like this without having Blair with him every step of the way. It was odd, but in this case Jim thought it might be essential. After all, while they might both know of the absolute trust between them, there was a big difference between knowing it and actually voicing the words.

"It sounds like the Sentinel and the man have reached a consensus, or did the Sentinel override the man?" Simon genuinely wanted to know, this insight into the inner working of his friend's mind was fascinating to him.

"No, they've definitely reached a consensus, I think it was Xander, he made it easy. I mean, he's a Sentinel and that should make me wary of him, but he just screams White Knight, he's so obviously one of the good guys and he trusts Spike like I trust Blair. Last night, you should have seen it Simon, he's this friendly, goofy guy and suddenly when Spike was threatened he was there, protecting his Guide against all comers. If Spike can inspire that kind of faith in someone who knows him well, the good and the bad, then I'm prepared to trust him until I see proof that he's not worthy of that belief."

Both men sat, lost in thought for a while until a buzz from the intercom on Simon's desk pulled them back into the present. Leaving Simon to deal with whoever was calling on him now, Jim stood to leave, turning at the door to mouth 'Get some sleep' back at his boss before he left.

The rest of the day was spent planning the operation at the butchers shop, making sure all possible agencies were apprised of the details of the op. Top priority was ensuring they weren't going to be getting in the way of any other investigations. Other than that they had SWAT placements to plan, backup to place, and all the while covering the fact that they were sending in two civilians who couldn't even take part in the pre-op planning.

Mid-morning Jim looked up, a strange sound had been teasing at his senses for the last few minutes and he scanned the bullpen trying to track it down. Seeing his partners distraction Blair looked around too, trying to identify the problem. With a grin he tapped Jim's arm and nodded towards the corner office. Looking across Jim wasn't sure what it was that had caught Blair's attention until he realised that for the first time in what seemed like days he couldn't see Simon. With a better idea now what he was looking for, he finally noticed the top of Simon's head, just visible around the back of the couch in the office. Simon had finally sacked out for a few hours sleep and it was the sound of his gentle snores that had attracted Jim's attention. Sharing an indulgent smile the partners settled back down to work, thanking heaven once more for the benefits of the Sentinel / Guide bond, even if it was only the ability to get a good nights sleep in under 3 hours when they slept in each others arms.

Finally three o'clock rolled around and they had done everything that they could to prepare for this evening. Packing up everything they needed to brief Spike and Xander they let a now awake and refreshed Simon know where they were going and set off for Federal Way.

A/N: There it is, hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think in a review, Please!


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note :** Well here it is, chapter 16, I'm sorry but some content had to be edited out of this one, if you're over eighteen then you can read it at adult fan fiction .net, http:/ buffy. adultfanfiction. net/ story. php? no= 600091907 & chapter=16. Thank you **Charlotte Thornton** for your review, as always it's greatly appreciated to know someone is enjoying my work.

**Chapter 16**

Xander woke again at around 2 o'clock according to the clock on the wall. He lay quietly, enjoying the warm lassitude that comes from waking enfolded in your lover's arms, their heavy weight pressing along your back. And then he realised the truth of his thoughts, they may not be lovers yet but Spike had definitely implied a willingness to pursue that path. Grinning widely Xander snuggled back into that cool embrace.

"Mmmmm" a sleepy hum sounded from behind his head followed by soft lips nuzzling the back of his neck.

Xander growled as the sensation of those lips on his neck shot straight to his groin and he rounded his shoulders, pushing his neck back and tilting his head to provide easier access for that questing mouth.

Leaning up Spike planted a chaste kiss on the sensitive skin behind Xander's ear before shifting up fully onto one elbow, propping his head on one hand as he smiled down at his Sentinel "Morning luv."

Squirming round to lie on his back Xander smiled up into the face of his Guide. "So, you mentioned trying out the real thing?" Xander sounded so hopeful that Spike could not restrain a quiet chuckle.

"What?" Xander asked. He half thought he ought to feel hurt at Spike's response but he felt so comfortable as they lay there together that he couldn't take it as anything other than the affectionate sound it truly was.

Spike just shook his head and then leaning in he bought their lips together initiating their first kiss. The kiss was soft and gentle, until Xander opened his mouth in a mewl of need. As soon as his lips parted Spike plunged his tongue through the gap deepening the kiss as he plundered Xander's eager mouth. Eventually Spike eased off slowly pulling his tongue back enticing Xander's to come out and play. Quickly their roles were reversed and Xander was plundering Spike's mouth as eagerly as he had submitted to the vampire's attentions moments before.

Finally the kiss ended and they separated, each panting slightly at the exhilaration of the moment.

"I want to try everything from my dream," Xander murmured so softly that Spike could almost have missed it.

"Maybe not everything," Spike murmured in response.

Xander just looked up at him with a confused expression.

"I didn't like the way it ended." Spike clarified with a smirk.

Thinking back over the events of the dream all the blood rushed from Xander's face leaving it chalk white. Reaching up Xander cupped his hands around Spike's face. "Don't even joke about that, I couldn't ..." he broke off, overcome with fear at the mere thought of losing his Guide, his lover, Spike.

Leaning in Spike kissed him again, just a gentle kiss, closed mouth and full of apology. "I'm sorry Pet, don't worry, it'll never happen. We'll try all the good stuff from your dream... and more, but some of it will have to wait a while as we work up to it."

"Why do we have to wait? I want you now." Xander hated the whine in his voice but was unable to stop it.

"Do you think I don't want that too?" Spike asked, he'd intended it as a rhetorical question, but he saw the way Xander released his head and turned away from him at the words.

Gently he used one finger to turn Xander's face back towards him. Searchingly he gazed into those deep brown eyes. "That's exactly what you think isn't it?" He stated.

"I want you Xander, so much that it almost hurts, oh God Xander, I want that so much, but I'm pretty sure you've never been with a man" he stopped briefly as Xander nodded confirmation "thought as much, the first time hurts Xander, no matter how much slick we use, no matter how carefully I prepare you, it **will** hurt."

Xander took a moment to assimilate the words, then the meaning struck him. "Fucking initiative!" he swore violently, "they've been gone four years and they're still ruining my life!"

"Hey," Spike kissed him softly, "hey, there're other things we can do." Spike's words carried more than a hint of promise in them and Xander perked up at the thought. Bracing himself off of one elbow he lunged upwards pushing Spike over to land on his back as Xander stretched out on top of him taking the dominant position. "Just not now." Spike finished and Xander groaned, closing his eyes and briefly hanging his head.

"Why not now?" he asked, resigned to frustration.

Spike nodded over to the wall clock which showed that 25 minutes had passed since Xander had woken up. "Jim and Blair could be here at any minute." A sly look crossed his features, "but maybe, if we multitask, combine a shower with something a little more fun," he quirked one eyebrow in suggestion.

Xander was seriously tempted, who wouldn't be, with Spike pinned beneath them looking up with just that mix of suggestion, swagger and a hint of vulnerability that only he could pull off. Leaning in he kissed Spike quickly on the tip of his nose, laughing at the "ewww" that Spike involuntarily let out.

"I'd love to, but I really don't want the place reeking of sex when Jim turns up. You know, fully fledged Sentinel, well-versed in the use of his senses, no way." Xander's voice trailed off, images invoked by his words reeling through his mind, visions of Jim, strong and confident, not only in his Sentinel abilities, but also physically powerful and self-assured.

Spike had been about to protest, while he didn't hold out much hope of persuading Xander into some dalliance before their guests arrived it was still fun to try. Then he saw the look in Xander's eyes and it was as if he could read the thoughts hidden in those chocolate brown depths, could see the possessive nature of the primal Sentinel taking hold. He kept quiet, not wanting to break the chain of thought which he felt could only be of benefit to both of them. His patience was rewarded when Xander leapt from the bed and in a tone of complete authority ordered, "bathroom, now!"

Spike obeyed with alacrity, leaping from the bed and striping quickly as he crossed the few paces to the bathroom door. Following his Guide Xander hurriedly entered the small room, closing the door firmly behind him.

It was half an hour before the door opened again and together they walked back into the main room to rummage for clean clothes and to try to make themselves presentable before the arrival of their guests.

Xander was just towelling his hair when a knock sounded at the door of the room. Throwing the damp towel over the bathroom door he gestured Spike back as he pushed through the blackout material and checked the peep-hole before admitting Jim and Blair. The two stood confused on the threshold for a moment awaiting words of welcome before they remembered what they had been told the night before and simply walked inside uninvited.

Closing the door behind them Xander took care to ensure the blackout cloth fell back into position before turning to greet the two men. "Welcome to our humble home away from home," he gestured expansively to the cluttered room with a self-deprecating grin.

Blair grinned back, "I love what you've done with the place," as his glance took in the scattered clothes from their mad dash to the bathroom earlier.

Blushing, Xander grabbed up the offending items and stuffed them under the pillow out of the way. Blair just laughed good-naturedly, "don't stress it, sit down, we need to talk."

Meanwhile Jim moved over to the small kitchen counter where Spike was pouring something out of an opaque container into a large mug, carefully masking his actions with his body so that Jim couldn't see the flowing liquid. The sharp, metallic smell of blood however was obvious to Sentinel nostrils as Spike covered the mug with a side plate and placed it into the small microwave to heat through.

Another smell teased at his senses, almost hidden by the scent of the blood so that it took Jim a moment to identify it. As soon as he did he shot a sharp glance at the vampire, "so, you and Xander..." he left the sentence hanging, watching for Spike's reaction.

Spike's eyes immediately flew to where Xander sat on one of the beds, deep in conversation with Blair. The look on his face was plain to see even without Sentinel senses, pride and love chased each other across his features. "Yeah," was all he said.

"How long?" Jim asked curiously.

Spike looked at his watch, "about twenty minutes" he replied with a wry twist of his lips.

Jim was momentarily taken aback at the answer but quickly shook it off and held out his hand, "in that case, congratulations."

Spike laughed briefly and shook the offered hand, "thanks mate."

Nodding over to the two men seated across the room he had to ask, "what about you and Blair?"

"Yeah," Jim parroted Spike's earlier answer a soppy look of adoration settling on his features as he watched his curly haired love earnestly explaining something to an eager Xander.

"For long?" Spike asked gently, awed by the openness the other man was displaying.

"Since shortly after you left on Saturday evening." Jim replied, "he almost left me that night because of what I'd done." The raw pain of those terrifying hours was etched on his features as he remembered his desperation to make things right with his Guide.

Spike was horrified at the thought that his arrival had caused such pain to these two men he was rapidly coming to see as friends. "I'm sorry," he muttered, sincerity dripping from each word. He and Xander had only been together as Sentinel and Guide for less than two weeks, but even so the thought of being without Xander in his life ripped at his heart. He could not imagine facing that loss after spending years together as Jim and Blair had.

Whipping his head back to look at the blonde Jim could see the honesty of the apology in the other man's face. "It wasn't your fault," he said reassuringly, "it brought to light some things that had been festering for a while and allowed us to move forward. If this hadn't brought things to a head then Blair would have left sooner or later and I would never have had the chance to set this right." Looking back at Blair eased the pain in his heart and for the millionth time since that fateful evening he thanked heaven for the second chance that he had been given.

The microwave had pinged during their conversation and Spike stood now with steaming mug in hand looking rather awkward. It was plain that he was hungry but was wary of drinking in front of the other man. Seeing this Jim simply waved at the mug, "drink up" and then crossed the room to join the seated men, taking his place on the right hand bed beside Blair, giving Spike privacy to down his meal before joining them.

After emptying the mug and rinsing away the evidence Spike joined the others, taking a seat opposite Jim, beside Xander on the left hand bed. Blair was busy explaining to Xander how Jim had been able to follow their conversation of the night before, even when they had been in separate vehicles several car lengths apart as they drove to the Police Department building. Spike sat quietly, one hand unconsciously finding its way to rest in the small of Xander's back as he listened to Blair's explanation. Spike was determined to be all that his Sentinel needed in a Guide and to do that he needed to know all he could about the techniques that Blair could teach them.

Currently Blair was explaining how to piggy-back one sense onto another so that one sense could pull another along with it. As far as Spike understood it, because Jim could see the two of them talking through the rear-view mirror of his truck, he was able to direct his hearing along the same lines and actually pick out their voices from all the background noise of the city at night. Blair wanted to teach Xander this technique so that he could home in on Jim's voice from a distance and the pair of them could act as human walkie-talkies tonight. This would allow them to keep in contact with the back-up waiting outside the butcher shop without the risk of discovery inherent in the use of transmitters. Not that they expected this group to be that sophisticated, but even so, if there was another alternative, why take the risk.

They spent the next hour practicing the technique, first with Spike and Xander standing in the bathroom while Jim stood by the hotel room door. Then Jim moved further away, out of the room, round to his truck on the opposite side of the hotel and finally walking over the Walmart in the same complex and wandering around the aisles of the store. As Jim kept up a running commentary of all the offers he saw in the store and the items that he was buying as they were running short on a few staples at home, so Xander relayed it all to Blair and Spike who listened in wonder as the two kept up a conversation whilst separated by over half a block in distance.

As Jim walked back in through the door Blair fell upon him snatching the paper carrier from his arms and spreading the contents across the surface of one of the beds. Scanning the items in wonder he noted that they were exactly as described by Xander.

"Don't trust me chief?" Jim sounded amused at Blair's reaction and the words were obviously spoken in jest.

"Jim, that's amazing, have you any idea how useful this could be, this is way more than piggy-backing one sense on another, this is targeting one sound and following it through anything. We need to experiment, see how far this can work.." Blair breathed, ecstatic at the possibilities with two co-operating Sentinels to experiment with.

Jim just laughed, knowing exactly what was running through his partner's head. "Make the most of it chief, I'm assuming that Spike and Xander will have to go home eventually, although I hope they will be able to stay until this case is wrapped up." The last was directed to the other two men who quickly agreed. They had no intention of going anywhere until this was resolved and the wrong-doers brought to justice.

With the successful conclusion of the piggy-back experiment Blair declared them ready for the evening's reconnaissance mission and the four men settled down to chat quietly, killing time until dark when they could set out for the scene of the operation. As time went on Xander's contributions to the discussion diminished until he dropped out of the conversation altogether. He was thinking of the night's events and worrying about taking Spike into a room full of hostile humans, against whom he would be defenceless. He didn't voice his concerns, knowing that Spike would not thank him for them. Spike was his friend and now his lover and he dreaded seeing him hurt but he knew that Spike hated to feel weak or vulnerable and hated it more if he felt others saw him that way.

Xander was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he did not notice when the conversation around him stopped and it was only when Spike nudged his arm that he looked up. Spike nodded across the room and Xander turned to see the most amazing sight. Trevor and Lex were there, Trevor lying stretched out on his side on the carpet while Lex sat at his head, quite obviously standing guard over her larger companion. That wasn't the most startling thing though for arrayed behind Trevor sat a large black panther and a grey timber wolf. The two new animals were seated together, also quite clearly guarding the larger form of the white tiger.

Glancing over at Jim and Blair Xander made the obvious connection, "yours?" he asked softly, not wanting to disturb the tableau across the room.

Jim and Blair simply nodded and all four men continued to watch the animals. The three guardian creatures clearly displayed a sense of expectancy. It was obvious that something was about to happen, although no-one had any idea what it could possibly be.

After a few moments, as if at some silent trigger the Hyena, Panther and Wolf all stood, lips pulled back baring vicious teeth as a deep growl rumbled simultaneously from three throats. Trevor shifted up to lay, sphinx like across the carpet and a careful shudder ran down that long body from the crown of his head to the tip of his tail. Shifting up again to sit back on his haunches another shudder wracked his body and hoarse coughs began to rip through him causing the four men watching to wince in sympathy. Finally a massive sneeze tore from his chest and shaking his huge, shaggy head as if to clear it, Trevor settled back into his former reclining position.

"Did you see that?" Jim breathed in disbelief and the others turned to look at him, wondering what more he could have seen, the picture of the four animals together had been shocking enough.

Turning back, trying to pick out what had so shocked the older Sentinel they realised that the animals had gone, leaving no trace of their presence as usual.

"What did you see Jim?" Blair asked, his tone coaxing as whatever more Jim had seen had clearly stunned him to the core.

Without replying Jim stood and moved over to stand near the place where Lex had stood at Trevor's head. Kneeling he picked up something from the carpet, something too small for the others to see clearly at that distance. Returning to his seat he held out the object on the palm of his hand for everyone to see.

They all stared in confusion at the tiny device in Jim's hand. It appeared to be a miniature computer circuit board but none of them could imagine how it had gotten onto the carpet and then Jim spoke. "I saw it, when the tiger... Trevor?" he looked to Spike for confirmation before continuing, "when Trevor sneezed this flew from his nose. What is it?"

Spike and Xander shared an astounded look, "it can't be" Xander murmured although his hopeful tone belied the doubt in his words.

"It can't be what?" Blair asked, "how can a spirit animal produce a real, physical artefact?"

"He can't" Spike stated, sure of his facts.

"We need to test this" Xander was eager now, he had been so concerned for Spike's safety, if this meant what he hoped it meant then that fear could be laid to rest and Xander truly prayed that he was right.

"How?" Spike asked, unwilling to inflict pain on any of those present in the room.

"Pinch me," Xander said and pushing up his shirt sleeve he presented his bare arm to the vampire beside him.

Spike reached out and loosely twisted a fold of flesh on Xander's forearm.

"Come on Spike, put some effort into it" Xander encouraged nudging the vampire again with his bare arm.

Heartened by the lack of reaction to his first tentative attempt Spike steadied Xander's wrist with one hand while firmly grabbing a fold of skin between forefinger and thumb and twisting harshly.

"Oww!" Xander yelped in genuine pain, pulling his arm free of Spike's grip before amazed grins broke out across both men's faces and they grabbed each other in a tight hug watched by two very confused Cascade Detectives.

"Would anyone care to explain to me what is going on?" Jim asked, angry now, unable to understand why Xander seemed to suddenly want Spike to hurt him, or why they were both so happy at Xander's exclamation of pain.

Ignoring the other men in the room Xander stood, pulling Spike to his feet in front of him. In a reverent voice he whispered, "bite me."

"Now wait a minute," Jim spluttered attempting to rise but Blair pulled him back down. It was obvious to the anthropologist that something significant had happened and while he was anxious for Xander's safety his shaman senses urged him not to interfere.

Spike scanned Xander's face for several long minutes, searching for any trace of reluctance or fear. Finding none he asked, "you're sure?" and receiving a decisive nod in response he allowed his true nature to show. His eyes turned golden yellow and heavy ridges appeared across his brow as his canine teeth lengthened into fearsome fangs. Still he scanned Xander's face but saw only faith and trust, no sign of fear or misgiving. Peeling back the collar of Xander's shirt he leaned in and licked over the skin at the junction of shoulder and neck before tenderly sinking his teeth into the yielding flesh.

His eyes closed in bliss as the taste of human blood, fresh from the vein flowed into his mouth for the first time in almost five years. Taking just one mouthful he allowed the incandescent flavour of his Sentinel to roll over his taste-buds before he swallowed and licked the wounds closed.

Both men stood, held securely in each other's arms until the sound of a clearing throat brought them back to themselves with a jerk.

"What the hell just happened?" Jim asked angry at the two men for ignoring him, and at Blair for restraining him while Spike **bit** Xander.

Xander answered cryptically "it's the chip."

While Spike, still vamped out, simply turned to the seated men and with a blood tinged smile said "I'm free."

**A/N :** There it is, chip's out, Spike's free, what do you think was that a good way to get rid of the chip or have you seen it done before? Hope you enjoyed it, **please review**.


	17. Chapter 17

**Authors Note :** Sorry it's taken so long, I have had most of this written for a little while but couldn't quite decide how to end the chapter. Hope you enjoy the way it turns out. Thank you to **prismaticmem, darkcuriosity, jules3677, Charlotte Thornton** and **handcl** for your reviews. As always it means a lot to me that you feel sufficiently motivated to let me know what you thought of the story. I think this story will be drawing to a close soon, I've said most of what I wanted to say now although there is one major plot point still to come and then I do have a sequel in mind if anyone would be interested in reading one.

Chapter 17

Jim stared, frozen at the blood that outlined each vicious tooth in that grinning mouth. He was held motionless by the conflict within him. On one side the Sentinel wanted to be happy for something that made a Guide so happy, on the other side was the fear inspired by this creature of myth and legend that lived on the blood of the innocent.

Blair handled the sight much better. He was concerned about his Sentinel though, they'd had a heavy few days, lots of surprises and he wasn't sure how much more Jim could take. Standing up he approached the still grinning vampire and held out a hand offering his congratulations. Spike gleefully shook the offered hand, thanking Blair before nodding over to the still stunned Sentinel on the bed.

"I think I broke your Sentinel."

Blair turned to his friend, the conflict was clear in Jim's eyes as they flicked from Blair to Spike and back again. Before Blair could move to help his friend Xander stepped in, "I don't think the fangs are helping."

Looking sheepish Spike retracted the fangs as his forehead smoothed and his eyes changed back to their normal ice blue shade. As the visible signs of the vampire disappeared Jim seemed to shake off his fugue state. It had been the strangest feeling as the Sentinel warred with the man but as soon as the monster vanished and the attractive blonde reappeared his conflict was resolved. He still felt some niggling doubts at the back of his mind though, he'd been reassured that the chip kept the vampire in check. Now that the chip was apparently gone there was nothing but the man's innate goodness to keep him under control. Still most of the human race managed to get by with nothing more, and in many cases with far less.

Steeling himself he stood stepping over to add his own congratulations to those already offered. Gratefully Spike shook his hand, "thanks."

"So, what does this mean for the operation?" Blair asked, bringing the conversation back on track.

Spike and Xander exchanged a glance, "nothing changes, except now if there is any trouble with humans in the Butcher's shop then Spike can defend himself." Xander finally explained.

"And after?" Jim couldn't help himself.

Spike just looked confused at the question.

"Jim means that it was the chip that kept you from chowing down on the general populace." Blair clarified, his displeasure at the question causing him to translate it a little more bluntly than Jim would have preferred.

Strangely it was Xander who took offence at the question, stepping between the big detective and his friend, "and just what do you mean by that?" He asked angrily, but Spike held him back restraining the furious young man.

"He's the Sentinel of the city, he has every right to ask about a perceived threat to his people." Spike clearly understood something of the protective instincts inherent in the Sentinel persona and Jim was grateful for that.

"I didn't mean any insult," he confirmed, more in an attempt to mollify the two younger men than Spike who had impressed him with his maturity. Although Jim didn't realise it, not having seen the vampire in any other setting, Spike's attitude had changed a lot on this trip. Away from the constant derision of most of the Scoobies he was able to show more of the maturity he had within. He no longer felt the need to hide behind the infantile wall he'd built to defend against their constant taunts and barbed comments.

"None taken," Spike agreed "I have no intention of 'chowing down on the general populace'. I've gotten by on animal this long, I'm almost used to the taste." Although the grimace that accompanied the words made them somewhat less than convincing.

"I don't see the harm if the occasional perp comes up a pint or two short," Blair shocked them all, "as long as they make it to trial in the end."

"Blair!" Jim was shocked at his partner's words, although thinking about it, there had been one or two criminals over the years that he wouldn't have minded feeding to the smiling vampire.

If possible Spike's grin widened at the byplay between the other Sentinel / Guide pair, but he had to be realistic. "As nice as that idea is, it might cause some uncomfortable questions if suspects started showing up with twin punctures in strategic places. Anyway, I'm not sure that I'd want to get that up close and personal with anyone else, a mouthful from Xander now and then is all I need." This time the truth of his statement was obvious to everyone who saw the soft glow in the vampire's expression as he gazed on his new love.

As Xander blushed at the mental picture that Spike's words evoked Jim couldn't help thinking of his own recent revelation about the beneficial effects of sleeping wrapped around his Guide. He decided that he could definitely understand what Spike was saying. Concluding that they had delayed long enough, he checked his watch and saw that it was getting late, the sun should certainly be down by now.

Seeing Jim glance at his wrist Spike turned his attention to his own internal clock. Vampire senses became attuned to the travels of the sun and he instantly knew that it was late enough for him to leave the room in safety. "Shall we go?" he asked.

Soon all four men were striding briskly down the street, retracing Spike and Xander's steps from two nights before. They continued to chat as they walked, about a wide variety of things and Jim quickly found himself feeling just as comfortable in the blonde's presence as he had before the chip had been removed.

Passing the pub where Spike and Xander had whiled away several very pleasant hours on the night they discovered the Butcher's shop, the talk turned to the current mission."So, you know what you're doing tonight yes?" Jim asked and then answered himself before the others had a chance to speak. "You get in, get a sample of the blood and get out. No heroics, just get in, get what we need and get out."

"Sir, yes Sir!" Xander snapped out with a cheeky salute, ducking as Spike levelled a playful swipe at his head.

They had reached the turning onto the target street now, Jim and Blair would wait here, out of sight of the shop, but hopefully within hearing range for the two Sentinels. Pulling the familiar 'Big Bad' persona around him like a cloak and with a jaunty wave to the Detectives Spike turned the corner, calling after him, "c'mon whelp, it's showtime."

Running a couple of paces, Xander quickly caught up to his Guide, all the while keeping up a sub-vocal commentary on events for Jim's benefit. Spike didn't know how they did it, Xander and Jim had gotten themselves so tuned in to each other that he couldn't hear what his Sentinel was saying and they were walking shoulder to shoulder. The only thing that gave away the conversation going on below his hearing range was a slight flutter of Xander's throat as he breathed the words.

Finally reaching the store Xander pushed open the door, respectfully holding it for Spike to pass by him. They had decided to play the roles of master and, well not quite thrall, more like boy-toy, just in case someone asked why a vampire was travelling with a human. As they walked in a loud bell rang above the shop door startling a dirty, unkempt looking man who was just pushing his way through a thick plastic curtain from the back of the shop. He had one filthy sleeve rolled up above the elbow and was holding a pad of cotton against the crook of his arm, the cotton startlingly white against his grimy skin.

The notes clutched tightly in his fist and the slight coppery tang of blood on the air made it plain that this gang was also paying for voluntary donations in addition to committing murder to obtain their product. Spike and Xander exchanged a quick glance, this could be a problem, they needed to get blood from one of the murder victims, blood from a willing source, while not exactly legal, wouldn't give them what they needed. Thinking fast Xander murmured a quick question to Jim and hoped they could get him an answer quickly.

Trusting to Xander to find a way to get what they needed Spike tried to think of a way to stall for time. Then he discovered that he wouldn't even need to try, for there, ushering out the homeless blood donor was a face he recognised.

"Viktor, fancy meetin' you 'ere!" The cockney street rat accent was back with a vengeance as Spike addressed the man he'd last seen forty years ago.

"Spike, you've got some nerve, showing your face here." The tall, blue eyed blonde stopped dead, staring at Spike with animosity writ large upon his features.

"C'mon Viktor, it's all water under the bridge now, Bitch left us both in the end." As he listened to this exchange Xander had no idea what the past between Spike and this stranger was and to be honest he didn't really care. He'd rely on Spike to keep them out of trouble, his job was to find a way to get the information that Jim had just whispered in his ear to his partner. He'd intended to murmur the message loud enough for Spike's vampire hearing to pick up while leaving the human shop keepers oblivious. That wasn't going to work now as this Viktor character appeared to be a vampire too, something they hadn't expected.

"Don't call me that, it's Dieter now." Viktor, or was it Dieter sounded much less angry now, in fact there was a distinct smirk to his lips as he continued, "so, Dru left you did she. Found someone better did she. You never were in her league gutter rat."

Spike knew he aught to snipe back but his heart wasn't in it. Yes Dru had left him, for a chaos demon no less, but what he had now so far exceeded anything he'd had with her that there was no competition. It seemed as if Xander could read his thoughts because at that moment the young man moved over to stand behind his left shoulder. His long body pressed tightly up against Spike's back as he rested his chin on the vampire's shoulder and grabbed a hold of the pale, slender hand.

Spike was confused but years of practice allowed him to hide it as Xander started tracing patterns on his palm with one finger. Tap tap, swirl, swirl, line, tap tap, swirl, swirl, line, as Xander started to repeat the pattern a third time Spike concentrated on the feel of that finger against his palm. Suddenly it clicked and with a swift turn of his head he lightly kissed the cheek that had been gently rubbing ear.

"Yeah, whatever, I saw the sign on the wall, I'll take a pint of AB neg if you've got it." Spike delivered the line confidently and the pleased huff of breath by his ear confirmed that he'd got it right.

"Bagging it! What's up? Getting past it old man!" Twin growls erupted from the pair at Viktor / Dieter's scathing words and the younger vampire found himself facing one angry master vampire and his suddenly equally scary human. Remembering why he'd lost out to Spike in the brief battle for Drusilla's affections, Viktor quickly backed down, turning to call to someone out back, "one pint, AB neg, now!"

Happy at the speed with which Viktor had given in Spike smiled wickedly and chose to answer the other vampire's question. "Not at all, but I've got better things to do with my time these days than chase down my next meal." With those words he turned into Xander's embrace and pressed their lips together in a searing kiss that had Xander hard within seconds. Hearing a shocked intake of breath as someone pushed aside the plastic curtain and stepped through Spike gently ended the kiss and turned his head to cast a sly sidelong glance at his old rival.

"Why buy, when you have a perfectly good human right there?" Viktor asked.

Spike just laughed softly and ran one teasing hand up Xander's arm gently squeezing the firm bicep through the thin material of his shirt. "He's in construction isn't he, needs to keep his strength up." Xander ducked his head, burying his face in Spike's neck to hide the flush of arousal that flooded his cheeks at the blatant innuendo in the vampire's voice.

A bulky man dressed in blood stained butcher's whites stood behind the counter next to Viktor holding a blood packet and staring at them with disgust clear on his face. Placing a quick kiss over the bite mark at the juncture of Xander's neck and shoulder Spike reached for the roll of cash that Cascade PD had supplied and peeled off five bills. Throwing them onto the counter top he snatched the blood packet out of the other man's hand and thrust it into an inside pocket.

"I'd like to say it was a pleasure, but..." and with that parting shot Spike slung one arm around Xander's waist and together they strode out of the shop and away down the street before Viktor or the butcher could react.

Maintaining a brisk pace but careful not to appear to be hurrying Spike and Xander quickly made it back to the street corner where they had left Jim and Blair. Turning the corner they found the other Sentinel / Guide pair standing beside a beat-up brown sedan talking to Simon as he leant against the car.

"Well, did you get it?" Simon asked as they rounded the corner.

"Of course!" Spike replied in obvious good spirits as he pulled the blood pack out of his pocket and handed it over to the big police captain.

Reaching in through the car window Simon pulled out a large evidence envelope and slipped the bag into it, sealing the envelope and signing the seal with a pen conjured from one of his many pockets.

"What was that about the blood group?" he asked once he had the evidence properly bagged and logged.

Here Xander took over the explanations, starting with a question, "did you see the guy who left the shop after we went in?"

"Homeless guy?" Simon answered the question with one of his own.

"Yeah, well he was coming out of the back of the shop as we came in, they're buying blood from willing donors as well as taking it from your victims." Xander stopped to survey the men in front of him to see if they got it but they all looked a little perplexed.

"I get why you wanted to know if any of the last set of victims had a rare blood type, what I don't understand is why these guys would type the blood in the first place." Blair finally voiced the question everyone wanted to ask.

Spike just looked at him like he'd asked a really stupid question, when he saw that no-one else shared his astonishment at being asked something so basic he answered as if it should be obvious. "You have a favourite flavour of ice-cream right," he looked around and saw the uncertain nods from his audience, "well we have our favourite flavours too. And by the way, why didn't anyone mention that this Dieter character only worked the night shift?"

Ignoring the apparent change of subject Blair zeroed in on what, to him, was the most important piece of information. "You mean you can type blood by taste!" The shock in his voice so heavy it bordered on disbelief.

"Even I can't do that!" Jim muttered in amazement.

"Hey, wha'd'ya know, vampire senses still win out at something!" Spike sounded inordinately pleased at the revelation. "Yeah, I can type blood by taste, any vampire worth his salt can, and Dieter would have been able to tell them that."

"What do you mean, Dieter could have told them that?" Simon asked.

"Dieter's real name is Viktor, he was turned about 70 years ago, Dru and I ran into him 30 years after that. Dru took a fancy to him, took him under her wing for a while until I had to run him off. He was getting ideas above his station," explained Spike.

Suddenly realising that they were discussing vampires in the middle of a public street whilst surrounded by police officers the three Cascadians looked around quickly to make sure that no-one was within hearing range. Luckily they were in the clear, although now that the operation was over and, apparently a success, the SWAT team lead was approaching them.

"We'll continue this in my office," said Simon, "get these two out of here." And he swiftly walked over to meet the oncoming officer and confirm the order to stand-down.

As soon as the order was given the SWAT officers started to disassemble their weapons and creep silently away from their vantage points. Half an hour later there was no sign to show that anything had happened on the quiet street in Federal Way.

With a resigned expression on his face, Jim chivvied his partner and the two civilians back towards the hotel so that they could pick up their respective vehicles for the trip back to the Cascade PD. He was astounded at how well everything had gone, they had the blood, which would hopefully match back to one of the victims. More importantly, Spike and Xander had got in and out with no fanfare, no fireworks just ultimate professionalism, got in, got what they needed and got out.

Of course watching them now as they were horsing around in the street, play wrestling and making stupid jokes as they burned off the excess adrenaline it was hard to believe. But still he'd been impressed, running into another vampire, and one that Spike had known in the past no less, was a wrinkle that they had not planned for. Even so, everything had gone off without a hitch, Jim was a very happy man as he followed the frolicking threesome through the darkened streets of Federal Way.

By the time the four men joined Simon back in his office on the third floor of the Cascade Police Department building they had worked off most of the excess energy. Though there was still a decided air of playfulness about Spike and Xander as they entered the office shoulder to shoulder.

Simon was sat behind his desk, elbows propped up on the blotter, both hands wrapped around a steaming coffee cup, eyes closed as he breathed in the caffeinated fumes with a look of decided satisfaction on his face. As they filed through the door his eyes slowly opened and with a small smile he waved them in. Jim propped himself against the closed door as Blair took the seat opposite Simon at the desk. Xander and Spike were still too keyed up to sit and just found places to perch around the office.

Taking a slow sip of his coffee before reluctantly putting down the cup Simon surveyed the men arrayed around the small, glass walled room. "Well, first things first, congratulations on a job well done. We got a sample of the blood they are selling, I dropped the package off in the lab on my way back up from the car, we should have the results by the morning. If they tie one of our victims in to the butcher's shop then we will have no trouble getting a warrant and mounting a raid sometime tomorrow. Now from the top, I want to know everything that happened from the moment you entered the shop."

And so, with Simon taking copious notes as they spoke and with Jim providing occasional prompts, Spike and Xander relayed everything that they could remember of the events of the evening. When they had finished talking they waited in silence as Simon carried on writing for several more minutes. Eventually finishing up the weary Police Captain capped his pen and stowed it away in a drawer along with the detailed mission debrief.

"Right, now tell me the details that I can't put in my report." He asked with a finality that permitted no argument.

"Alright," Spike started to lay out all that he knew, or had surmised from what he had learned that evening. "Loganschmidt is the brains of the outfit, he's a vampire and when Dru and I ran into him forty years ago he was calling himself Viktor. He ran with us for a few years but he got it into his head that Dru could do much better than me, namely himself, and I had to show him the error of his ways. He was a money grubbing worm, even back then, always had an eye to the main chance, any way to make a few bucks was good to him. I imagine he saw an opportunity to sell bagged blood and so he took the job at the donation centre. Then he hooked up with someone at the butcher's shop as front man for the operation. I don't know how he convinced them to turn to murder to supplement their supplies when he got himself fired but he's a charismatic bugger. It wouldn't have been that hard for him to thrall them into committing the first few murders, after that it wouldn't be hard to convince them that they were too far in to get out easy."

When he was finished Spike looked around to see if anyone had any questions. Jim just had one, "OK, so I get why Xander asked if any of the recent victims had an unusual blood type, but I didn't hear him passing that information on to you and I'm pretty sure I heard every word he spoke the whole time. How did he pass the message on without giving the whole thing away to this other vampire?"

Here Xander took up the story, "that was easy, allow me to demonstrate," and stepping across the small space he took Jim's hand in his and started to trace the letters into the palm of the other Sentinel's hand.

Hearing twin growls Xander looked up from his demonstration to see two pairs of bright blue eyes glaring at him as he stood close to the other Sentinel. Quickly he dropped the other man's hand and stepped away, hands spread in a placating gesture as he moved to stand at Spike's side. He might be new to this Sentinel lark but there was one thing he had picked up very quickly, do not anger the Guide. Definitely don't anger two Guides at once, they will make your life very miserable.

Seeing what the other Sentinel was doing Jim quickly followed suit, moving to crouch beside Blair's chair he reached for the younger man's hand. "Xander was just showing me how he passed the message along, see" and he started a small demonstration of his own while providing a commentary for Simon's benefit. "Two taps to start, then A," he formed an exaggerated swirl on Blair's palm to form a lowercase letter A, "b" another swirl formed a lowercase B, "negative" finally a short line across the palm provided the negative symbol.

Blair simply smiled and clasped the hand, still swirling out its message on his palm. To be truthful he'd been somewhat surprised to realise that half of the growl he'd heard had come from his own chest. He'd been watching Xander and Spike and could clearly see that the two men only had eyes for each other, and he knew how hard Jim had been trying to mend his ways. He knew deep down that he had no reason to fear anything more than comradeship between Xander and Jim yet somehow he felt some small insecurity deep down inside himself. Then looking into Jim's anxious face he knew why he was concerned, a vision from several years earlier swam before his mind's eye. A vision of a beach, a slender, blonde woman and Jim holding her tight in his arms as they fell to their knees in the sand, locked together at the lips and joined in a pheromone induced haze.

Recognising the cause of his anxiety made it easy for Blair to throw it off. Alex was no threat to them now, the woman had been left a drooling vegetable in a secure psychiatric facility after an ill-judged attempt to augment her already impressive Sentinel abilities. Xander was nothing like Alex had been, he already had his own guide and the pair of them seemed well on the way to establishing a strong bond. With a reassuring smile to his Sentinel Blair stood, pulling the older man to his feet along with him.

"Do you need anything more from us tonight?" he asked the big man behind the desk who replied with a tired smirk and a vague wave towards the door. Blair correctly interpreted this as a dismissal and led his three companions out of the door and back towards the elevators.

Watching the four men leave Simon chuckled softly, it amused him to see the big Detective whose brusque attitude had cowed half the department for the last ten years or so brought so swiftly to heel by his young partner. There had definitely been a major change in that relationship recently and he could only see that as a good thing. The boisterous anthropologist had been fading away before their very eyes for a long time now. It was good to see him back, and hopefully back to stay.

Surveying the paperwork spread across his desk Simon decided that nothing more of any great importance was going to happen tonight. He knew he would benefit greatly from a decent night's sleep in his own bed. So after a quick call down to the lab, who confirmed they were unlikely to have any results on the blood from the butcher's shop before morning, he closed his office door and headed home for the first time in over a week.

It was around three o'clock in the morning when a runner from the lab entered the Major Crimes bullpen to see Simon's office empty and dark. Not recognising any of the night shift officers working quietly on their own cases the young man in the lab coat tried the office door. Finding it unlocked he slipped inside and laid the results of the DNA testing over the keyboard on the desk where it would immediately draw Captain Banks' notice when he returned in the morning. Slipping back out of the office he headed back to the elevators and down to the labs unaware of the dark eyes that followed his progress across the floor, only shifting to stare intently at the glass windows of the Day shift Captain's office when the elevator doors had firmly closed behind him.

**A/N:** Well, there it is, let me know what you think, **please review.**


	18. Chapter 18

Authors Note: Thank you to WmGeorge, prismaticmem, Charlotte Thornton, pretzel-logic and mithrilandtj for your reviews, as always they are greatly appreciated. Thank you especially to pretzel-logic, it's ages since anyone called me evil, you made my day! I'm glad you're open to the possibility of a sequel, to be honest the idea has been with me since I started writing this one, the additional pairings and the outline of the story are already in place, of course you could write what I've got so far on a postcard so there's a way to go on it yet and I won't start properly until this one is finished. Anyway here it is, chapter 18, I'm a bit worried about how this one will go down but there's only one way to find out so here it goes...

Chapter 18

Spike had been absolutely honest in his assessment of the situation when asked by Simon. Unfortunately he'd also been wrong. He hadn't intended to mislead anyone he'd simply made a mistake, he'd forgotten just how easily Dru had wound Viktor 'round her little finger.

Had they stayed around that corner just a little longer then they would have overheard something that would have stunned him to the core. If only they had stayed and listened for a few moments more they would have heard the sound of someone coming out of the back room, of heels clicking their way across the shop floor, the ringing crack of hand hitting face as the newcomer slapped Viktor across the cheek causing the vampire to recoil in surprise.

Raising his hand Viktor covered his abused cheek revelling in the heated imprint of the dainty hand that had caressed his flesh so briefly.

"**Why buy!**" the diminutive brunette demanded, "**why buy!** What were you thinking? It's your job to sell the product, not to talk willing customers out of spending their money." She raised her hand to slap him again but this time he was prepared and he grabbed her hand as she swung at him.

"Now, my dark delight," his words still had a faint German accent even after his many years away from the Fatherland. "Do you realise who that was?" he asked as he raised one hand to gently cup her porcelain cheek. The other still effortlessly holding her hand frozen in mid slap.

Recognising that something important had happened today the woman gently flexed her wrist in Viktor's vice-like grip. Feeling the movement he immediately released the abused limb and she allowed it to fall back to her side. Free once more the woman stepped in close to nestle against him softening her voice as she asked "who was he?"

Wrapping one arm firmly around her waist Viktor held the petite brunette closely to his side. "That was Spike!" he declared dramatically.

Keeping her head down she hid the speculative gleam in her eyes as she thought about what Viktor had told her, all the stories she'd heard about Spike.

Her name was Lauren Van Den Haus but she'd long ago changed it to Laura Vincent, anything to help distance herself from her roots. She'd grown up in the small apartment above this very butcher's shop. Her parents had owned the shop and they had both worked long and hard to build up the business, eager to have something to pass on to their only child. They'd hoped for sons to carry on the family name and family business. It had been Artie Van Den Haus' greatest wish to be able to amend the sign above his shop doorway, to add '& sons', even '& son' would have made the old man very happy, but it wasn't to be.

Eventually Artie had given up hope of a son to carry on after he was gone and had turned his attentions to his daughter. His darling, little Lauren, the light of his life and he tried to pass on what he called 'The Butcher's Art' to her, but Lauren had no interest in anything he had to teach her. She hated the whole thing, the blood and the gore and the smell, the smell that got into everything, the harsh, metallic tang of blood that seemed to follow her around everywhere she went. Others didn't seem to be conscious of it but Lauren could smell it, she knew it was there, and she hated it. She worked hard in school, recognising that a good education was her only chance of escape. She had longed to go away to University but her parents had declared themselves completely unable to meet that expense. They could see no reason to spend many thousands of dollars on some fancy education when it was so obvious that Lauren's place was at home, in the family business that she would one day inherit.

Lauren though refused to even consider that possibility, she changed her name and took any job she could get to pay her own way through community college, taking secretarial and administrator courses. Until one day her background in the butcher's shop finally made itself useful. She saw an advertisement for an office junior position in a local Blood Donation Centre. She was somewhat lacking in experience but she had one big advantage going for her. Blood didn't bother her, she hated it, but she wasn't squeamish about it.

So she had spent ten years working her way up through the ranks until she had reached the giddy heights of Office Manager, in charge of the administration of the Blood Donation Centres in Cascade and the surrounding towns. That was how it came about that some four years ago, when interviewing for the position of Night Porter at her old Centre in Federal Way she met a tall, handsome, strangely pale young man by the name of Dieter Loganschmidt. There had been no question from the moment he had stepped into the interview room of who would be getting the job, she found him strangely fascinating, utterly compelling and sometimes just a little bit creepy. Often when working late at the Federal Way office she would look up to find him staring at her in a manner that made her feel slightly uncomfortable. When this happened she would turn her head away and each time when she looked back he was gone so that she began to wonder if she was imagining the whole thing.

Everything changed some nine months later, Laura had come in to work in the pre-dawn hours to finish up some budgetary reports and was surprised to see Dieter loading a heavy bag into his old, beat-up car in the parking lot behind the building. Suspecting that he was stealing medical equipment or drugs she had flung open the door of her car and stormed across the lot yelling at him to freeze. Dieter had looked up in shock, not having realised that there was anyone around so early in the morning to see him. As if held in stasis, Dieter had stood beside the open trunk of his car so that as the angry woman stormed up to him she could easily see the bags of blood spilling out of the battered hold-all.

"What's going on here?" she demanded to know, grabbing one of the blood packets and brandishing it in his face before holding it closer so that she could examine it properly. That was when she saw the red marking on the packet, this blood had been rejected and should have been safely disposed of. What could he possibly want with rejected blood. Then she remembered stories she'd heard from staff at other Donation Centres. Stories of the wierdo's and other sick individuals who held all sorts of strange beliefs revolving around blood, from those who believed they could gain immortality from bathing in the blood of the innocent to those deranged lunatics who truly believed that they were vampires who needed blood to survive.

At this thought her anger ramped up several notches and her hand involuntarily tightened around the packet she was holding. The force of her grip was so strong that her finger nails pierced the plastic and thick blood welled out of the holes to pour down her forearm. Laura didn't notice that however, all her attention was riveted on the man before her, his smooth, handsome features had disappeared the instant the scent of blood had hit his flaring nostrils. In their place were heavy brow ridges, golden eyes and fearsome fangs. She knew that she should be scared but somehow she wasn't, instead that odd fascination that she had felt for this man the first time they met now returned full force. She stood motionless, watching as he stepped forward and reaching for her he gently cupped her elbow, raising her arm to his mouth he leaned in and with smooth swipes of his tongue he began to lick up the blood that flowed from the ruptured packet.

Golden eyes locked with brown Dieter continued to lap at the blood as it flowed down Laura's arm until eventually the bag was empty and her arm was clean. Only when every drop of the red fluid was gone did he lower her arm but he still kept a gentle grip on her elbow and he kept his eyes locked with hers.

Suddenly Laura realised exactly where she was and what had just happened, it was like her mind had been clouded and now a veil had been drawn back. Ripping her arm free of his grip she stepped back yelling "get your hands off me!" Dieter fell back a step in the face of her anger. "Don't ever touch me again! Get out of here and tonight I want to see you in my office as soon as you get to work." Without waiting for an acknowledgement she turned on her heel and strode back to her car to lock it up before making her way inside.

Laura's mind was racing, she managed to get the budget reports finished that morning, she had no memory of completing the work and could only hope that they made sense as she passed them to an admin assistant to post. Once the reports were out of the way Laura got very little work done that day as she thought through the implications of what she had learned that morning.. Eventually darkness fell and shortly after that Dieter arrived for work, the signal for the last of the day shift staff to leave.

Ten minutes later, just as she thought she would have to go and look for him, Dieter walked into her office and closed the door. Pushing back from her desk Laura sat and watched him for a few moments as he stood by the door, nervously shifting from foot to foot as he waited for her to say something. Finally she seemed satisfied and nodding to herself she gestured him to the chair in front of the desk where he swiftly seated himself.

"Alright, tell me what that was all about" Laura asked.

Dieter didn't need to ask what she wanted to know about and so there, lit only by the small desk lamp he told her the story of his life. He played up the innocence of his human life and the evil of the one who had stolen that from him and condemned him to the life of the undead. Conveniently forgetting his dissatisfaction with mere humanity and the way that he had begged to be turned when the opportunity arose. He told of his encounter with Spike and Drusilla, half of the scourge of Europe, he told of how Drusilla had loved him but been too afraid of her evil and abusive lover to leave with him. The story he told would have been totally unrecognisable to anyone who had participated in the events in question. However, he had retold the tale in his mind so many times that he had no problem injecting sincerity into every word, in truth he absolutely believed the story himself.

When he had finished speaking Dieter sat back and watched Laura, confident that he had won her over. However, as he looked at her he saw none of the soulful longing or dewy-eyed romanticism that he expected to see. Instead there was a hard glint in her eyes as she suddenly leaned forwards to rest her chin on her steepled hands. "A heart-warming tale I'm sure, now you can tell me the truth!"

Dieter was astounded, he'd had no difficulty compelling this woman to give him the job in the first place. A job that gave him easy access to human blood without the risk involved in hunting as well as an occasional source of extra income in selling the excess. He hadn't expected this to be any different. He redoubled his efforts to charm his boss but was stopped short by her next words.

"And you can stop trying to cloud my mind, or whatever it is you're doing. The only thing you're succeeding at is giving me a headache and that's not going to help your case."

Recognising defeat when it stared him in the face Dieter slumped in his chair. "I'm a vampire, I was turned almost 70 years ago, I took this job to get access to human blood without having to hunt." He saw no reason to tell all his secrets, unfortunately Laura could read him far better than he expected. She saw the slight tension that indicated there was still something he wasn't telling her.

She sat silently for several minutes as if waiting for him to continue, just watching him over her clasped hands.

Dieter was getting uncomfortable waiting, he was beginning to think that he would have to kill this woman, she seemed dangerously astute. He gathered himself ready to strike, he needed a moment to summon the right mindset after not having killed for several years.

"You can kill me if you like, there is nothing I could do to stop you. Of course if you do then it will call down far more attention than you could possibly stand. You'd have to move on, no more easy access to blood. It would be much less effort to simply tell me the rest. What aren't you telling me?" She waited, calm and relaxed. That more than anything decided Dieter, he would see what she had to offer, if necessary he could always kill her later, he wouldn't be any worse off than if he were to attack now.

"I sometimes pick up a little extra cash by selling a few extra packets of blood to other vampires who don't want to kill to survive." Having told all his secrets Dieter sank back into his seat to see what she would say next.

Laura watched his body language with an experience born of many years of people management and quickly decided that he wasn't hiding anything more. Relaxing back she thought about what she had been told. "How much blood have you been taking?" she asked.

"A bag like that every month or so. Just enough to keep myself fed and have a couple of extra packets to sell." He replied carefully.

"You'll be taking a little more than that in the future" Laura decided "and I'll be taking 75% of any money you make from here on in."

Dieter looked up in shock, that seemed like an awfully large cut for someone who wouldn't be doing anything more than turning a blind eye. Still, his life now was a comfortable one, his job was easy and his needs few so he agreed to the proposal.

Dieter quickly settled into the new pattern of his life, he had to spend a little more time out and about to sell the extra blood packets and keep Laura happy. It wasn't bad at first, he'd sold about 3 or 4 packets a month before being caught, now he was selling maybe 12 or 15 to keep up his income. However over time Laura demanded that he increase his sales as she found just how much she enjoyed having money to spend. He was beginning to seriously consider getting rid of his silent partner when things changed once again.

Dieter arrived at work one cold winter's evening only to be called almost immediately into Laura's office. Once there he found the petite brunette furiously pacing in front of her desk. Unsure of what had her so very angry Dieter simply waited quietly by the door. Eventually Laura seemed to notice him, she didn't slow her pacing but now she also began to rant, flinging out the words as she flung herself around the room. "They think they can trap me! They think I'll go back to that miserable little hole! Never! I'll die first!" Over and over she went over the same ground, sometimes muttering barely loud enough to be heard, sometimes shouting the words and all the while Dieter stood stoically by the door, waiting for her to calm down.

Eventually it seemed she had worn herself out and angrily Laura flung herself into her chair demanding "Well!" as if expecting Dieter to provide a solution to a problem she had not yet been able to articulate.

Dieter moved forward, he remained standing, not wanting to anger the woman behind the desk. "What has happened?" he asked, "who's trying to trap you?" He desperately needed more information, if someone had discovered their secret, even if they only knew that there was something strange happening at the Donor Centre then that would be bad. Any investigation would lead straight to him and he could not afford the scrutiny that would involve.

"My parents!" Laura exclaimed melodramatically and Dieter almost laughed in relief however he managed to control the impulse just in time. "They managed to get themselves killed in a mugging and they've left the Butcher's shop to me on condition that I leave my job and move home to run the place."

Dieter thought for several moments before speaking, "this could be a good thing," he finally ventured.

Laura looked up sharply, "a good thing? How?"

"Well, we're beginning to make a name for ourselves in the vampire community for supplying a quality product." He looked up to gauge Laura's reaction and she simply nodded for him to continue. "You'd be surprised how many in the Butcher's trade know about the undead, many of them have side businesses selling to the 'after dark' market."

At first Laura looked confused as she looked at him waiting for him to expound further, but then his words sunk in and she began to see the possibilities and then she began to smile. A slow smile of avarice that left her eyes cold, "I'll have to give one months notice, that will give you time to spread the word, the grand re-opening will be one month from tomorrow."

Dieter smiled too, it would be a lot of work to set everything up, but once it was done it would make his life much simpler. No more traipsing around touting his wares like a common street seller, no he would be able to sit tight in a respectable family business and wait for his customers to come to him. Oh yes, Dieter liked this idea, in fact it couldn't have gone any better if he'd been the one to plan the attack on that poor, elderly couple on their way home from a night of bingo with their friends at the old church hall!

As he had anticipated it took a lot to get everything ready in time, in addition to getting the word out on their new premises Dieter also had to check out the existing staff of the shop. Several of the current workforce had to go and more... open-minded ... replacements found. But eventually everything was ready. Dieter remained at the Donor Centre to keep the supply lines open while Laura handled the retail end of the business. The shop did steady business both over and under the counter and everything went very well for several months before disaster struck.

Dieter had got used to the fact that with Laura there to cover his back he didn't need to be quite so careful when taking away the reject blood on which their business was based. Unfortunately with her gone he needed to tighten up once again to make sure he wasn't caught. One evening he didn't check carefully enough and he was caught by the new administrator leaving the building with 30 packets of reject blood. There was no way that he could hide what he was doing and it was only with some quick thinking and even quicker talking that he persuaded them to cover the matter up, allowing him to leave quietly to avoid a scandal.

Laura was furious that night when he turned up at the Butcher's shop early and empty handed. She flew at him in a rage, screaming at him for his carelessness as her fingers curled into claws that she raked across his cheek leaving four long, deep furrows across the skin as blood welled to the surface.

As soon as she saw what she had done Laura froze in horror, staring at Dieter as he vamped out from the sudden pain. She had been working with him for so long, treating him like dirt, that she had almost forgotten just what he truly was. He accepted it because of the love he had felt for the woman she so strongly resembled and that he now felt for her. As brown eyes locked with golden she feared that she may have gone too far. Fortunately for her, vampires have no objection to combining a little pain with their pleasure and the deep scratches that would have scarred a human face for life were already healing. Seeing that Dieter was not going to attack she stepped forward, raising her hand to touch the blood still adorning his, now unblemished, cheek.

As she withdrew her gore tipped fingers Dieter's hand flashed out to grasp her wrist and holding it rock steady he slowly sucked each scarlet fingertip into his mouth in turn. Laura, who had always held herself aloof from him before, this time allowed his caresses only drawing back her hand once he had carefully cleaned the blood from each finger.

Dieter applied for work at any location where he might have been able to source a regular supply of human blood, but it was quickly apparent that the administrator at the Federal Way Donor Centre had passed the word around. Even when he used a different name prospective employers took one look at him and turned him away. After several weeks they knew that they weren't going to be able to renew their supply lines that way and worse, Laura's name was being tainted by association with his because of the reference she had supplied for him. One of her previous associates had sent her a quick warning that one of her discredited employees was using a reference from her. At the moment it seemed they were prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt, however it wouldn't take much more for the taint to stick.

Then Laura had an idea, walking through the town she came across a homeless man whose face was familiar to her. She couldn't immediately place him but it nagged at her for the remainder of the day until shortly before bed. As she was relaxing it suddenly came to her. She had seen the man several times trying to get paid for donating blood. The old guy seemed to sometimes live in the past, still in the days when he could pick up a little extra money by selling a pint or two of the red stuff.

The next evening she sent Dieter out scouting the homeless community for those willing to sell a pint or two and suddenly they had a new source of product. This helped the situation but it was difficult finding sufficient donors and the money they had to pay cut into their profits. Then the unthinkable happened, one of their donors died in the act of giving blood and Laura found herself clinging to Dieter in fear of the consequences of their actions. Dieter personally couldn't see the problem, one less human littering the streets and if it got him Laura, trembling in his arms, he was quite frankly all in favour of the occasional death.

Laura expressed horror at what had happened, but she rejected his half-hearted suggestion that maybe they should stop. Dieter quietly got rid of the body and several weeks later when he saw the opportunity he over-did it again and was once more rewarded with a trembling brunette in his arms.

The third time it happened it was quite obvious that Laura could not believe it was an accident but she played along and their relationship took a whole new direction. From there it was a short step to pre-meditated murder. The first time they stalked a man with the sole intention of stringing him up by his ankles and draining the blood from his body was the first time that Laura slept with Dieter.

That had brought them to their current situation, Dieter had chosen well when recruiting new staff for the Butcher's shop. They had quickly realised what was going on but as long as the bonus payments continued they did not object and when their assistance was needed in the actual act of murder they were happy to help... As long as the price was right!

Laura thought quickly when Dieter told her that one of his old associates had been in the shop with a young human paramour. Dieter was not inclined to see anything of concern in it but Laura had always been the more suspicious of the two.

"Follow them she demanded, I want to know what they want!"

Dieter was tempted to object but Spike's new toy looked interesting. He had never been able to take Drusilla away from the blonde but maybe he'd have more luck with this young man. Nodding his acquiescence he headed for the staircase in the back of the shop. He swiftly made his way to the top of the building and out onto the roof where he could easily keep track of the two on the street below without being detected.

A/N : Please review


	19. Chapter 19

Author's Note, sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything, rl has been hell, still it looks like things are finally settling down and maybe we will make it to our next wedding anniversary, who knows. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I finally feel able to write again, hope you enjoy, please review. For those over the age of 18 the unexpurgated version is available at adultfanfiction dot net.

Chapter 19

Hoisting himself through the skylight Dieter slipped out onto the rooftop and slid quietly down to crouch behind the small parapet at the roof-edge. The butcher's shop was well placed for his current purpose and he found himself at a spot between two streetlamps where his chances of being seen, in the unlikely event anyone was looking up here, were minimal. Poking his head briefly over the low wall Dieter swiftly scanned the street below, spotting his targets striding away from the shop towards the end of the street.

They were already half way to the corner and Dieter was about to hurry after them when some instinct had him scan the rooftop opposite. To his surprise his keen vampire eyesight spotted something that didn't belong. A narrow bore metal pipe appeared to be lying on the matching parapet of the building opposite. Staring at the out-of-place object he saw it move slightly and then withdraw back into the darkness. Following it with his eyes as they adjusted to the darkness he could dimly discern a hunched shape with large, strangely blank eyes.

Suddenly everything clicked into place and he realised what he was seeing. A gunman, wearing night vision goggles was perched on the rooftop opposite the shop, pointing a rifle at the street below. Luckily he seemed to be intent on the shop front and hadn't noticed Dieter's arrival. Wary of other, unseen observers Dieter dropped quickly back down and headed for the street corner around which Spike and his boytoy had just disappeared, he'd bet they knew something about the mysterious gunman.

It took him several minutes to make it to the corner and he vehemently hoped that the couple would still be in sight when he arrived. As he approached the end of the street it appeared that his luck was in, he heard soft voices, one of which he would recognise anywhere. Apparently Spike was in no hurry, he seemed to be engaged in a low-voiced conversation with at least two other men although from this distance Dieter could not discern the words.

Employing every bit of knowledge he had on how to move stealthily Dieter crept the last few yards until he was crouched immediately above his prey. The small parapet that fronted the main street did not continue around to this side street and so his cover was gone and he crawled the last few feet on his belly, keeping his body pressed as close to the side wall as he could to take advantage of its shadow. Finally he reached the edge and, feeling uncomfortably exposed he craned forward to peer down at the men below. He was right, Spike and his little human were involved in conversation with three other men.

Now able to catch the words spoken below, the first thing he heard was Spike saying "You have a favourite flavour of ice-cream right?"

The question seemed a little bizarre to the listening figure on the roof above but as he continued to listen he couldn't suppress a slight snigger as he realised the analogy that Spike was drawing. Any desire to laugh disappeared moments later as Spike dismissed his love for Drusilla as if it had been nothing at all.

That however appeared to end the conversation below and Dieter risked another glance over the edge to see Spike and his human leaving with two other men whilst the large, black man crossed the street to talk to another figure dressed all in black with familiar goggles pushed up onto his head. From his vantage point Dieter watched the brief conversation and as the black clad figure turned to walk away he read the letters on the back of his jacket in shock. SWAT. Spike working with the police! One quarter of the Scourge of Europe, lapdog to those incompetents. The same incompetents who had kept Dieter amused as he watched and laughed at them as they tried to uncover some clue to who was leaving a trail of dead bodies all over Cascade.

Moments later the street below was empty. Dieter counted slowly to thirty in his native tongue before he risked movement. His perch was more precarious as well as more exposed now. He moved cautiously without the low wall between him and the two storey drop to the sidewalk below. Creeping along the roof edge he made his way to the place where two gutters joined and after carefully scanning the street below and the roofs opposite he slipped over the edge and climbed down the drainpipe to a convenient fire escape below and was swiftly back at ground level with no hue and cry raised behind him.

His quarry was out of sight by the time he reached the ground but Dieter had seen the direction that they had gone and he was able to quickly follow, not having to worry so much about remaining unseen now. As he hurried along the street Dieter strained his ears for any sound of his prey.

Apparently, wherever they were going they weren't in a hurry and it wasn't long before Dieter heard the sounds of friendly banter from ahead of him. Slowimg down to an easy stroll Dieter was careful not to close the gap too much more. He didn't want to risk attracting Spike's attention, especially not when he was alone and Spike had back-up, even if they were just humans. In this way he tracked them back to a small motel just off the interstate. Unfortunately by the time he reached the motel they had gone, apparently driven away.

Still Dieter wasn't concerned, the chances were that Spike and his human were staying here and plastering on his most ingratiating smile he entered the small reception area. Pouring on the charm to enthral the helpless man behind the desk Dieter was soon after leaving with a Spike's room number and a spare key. He made a detailed reconnaissance of the room, enough to be certain that Spike and the other man were living there, and from the aroma that still tainted the air, they were more than just friends.

Being careful not to leave any sign of his visit Dieter left the room and hurried back to the butcher's shop.

Meanwhile, as Dieter was relaying his information to Laura, Spike, Xander, Jim and Blair had finished their meeting with Simon and were heading back to the loft apartment to enjoy a well-earned evening of peace in preparation for the full-scale raid on the butcher's shop that they anticipated for the next day.

Driving to the loft Spike allowed a greater gap than normal to open up between the two cars until the tail-lights of the blue and white truck disappeared into the distance. Hoping that at this distance he would be able to have a private conversation with Xander. He turned to the younger man at his side, "you did good tonight."

Xander had been musing quietly as they drove but he was pulled out of his introspective mood by the softly spoken words. "Thanks."

He fell silent for a few moments more.

"You don't have anything to worry about you know." He finally muttered.

Surprised Spike turned to stare at Xander until the younger man jerked his head pointedly at the road ahead and Spike returned at least part of his attention to his driving. "I'm the 'big bad' of course I don't have anything to worry about!" he stated firmly.

The effect was ruined a few moments later though when he followed up with "what don't I have to worry about?"

"Jim or... or Dieter." The hesitation was clear and Spike was wondering just how to respond with Xander carried on.

"I was just demonstrating to Jim, there was wasn't anything in it, and well, I know Dieter tried to take Dru from you but he didn't succeed with her, what chance would he have with me."

"I wasn't jealous you know." Spike sounded a little sheepish.

Xander tried hard to quash the grin that followed but it forced its way out. "You growled!" Xander pointed out, the amusement obvious in his voice.

"I did didn't I," the rueful tone clear in his voice. "It wasn't jealousy though, it was..." Spike groped around for a word, "possessiveness."

"Is that even a word?" Xander asked to cover the thrill that had run up his spine at the word. Apparently the thought of being possessed by Spike did strange things to his insides.

Spike just shot him a sidelong glance and growled playfully causing the knot of desire curling in Xander's stomach to tighten even further as they pulled into the parking lot outside of 852 Prospect.

Jim and Blair were nowhere to be seen when they got out of the car so they headed straight for the door where Blair quickly buzzed them in. They walked up the stairs, their shoulders brushing amiably together. As they pushed through the fire door they saw the apartment door propped open waiting for them and a warm sense of welcome flooded both men. A feeling they realised had been sadly lacking from their lives in Sunnydale for a long time now.

As they walked into the loft Jim was carrying an armful of, what appeared to be, laundry out of the small side room that they had never seen open before, up to the sleeping space on the upper level. Blair meanwhile was in the small kitchen area and from the rich aroma was apparently making cocoa.

Seeing Jim trailing clothes from the untidy bundle in his arms Xander moved swiftly to help, picking up stray items and following the taller man up the stairs where he was soon at work sorting and folding the pile which seemed to consist largely of plaid, flannel shirts, whilst Jim rearranged the clothes already up there to clear shelf space for the new arrivals.

Spike had other priorities, he headed into the kitchen and was soon immersed in helping Blair and, most importantly, ensuring that there were sufficient marshmallows in each cup.

There followed a convivial evening between friends as the four men finally had time to spend time together in a purely social context. No more big reveals, just friendly one-up-man-ship as they told increasingly outlandish tales of demons vanquished and villains safely locked away behind bars. The evening flew by until suddenly Jim chanced to look at the clock on the chimney breast.

"Damn!"

"What's up?" Blair looked up sharply from where he was curled up cozily in the corner of one couch listening to Xander as he recounted an agonising tale of an encounter with a singing demon called Sweet. Following Jim's line of sight Blair was shocked to see how late it had gotten.

Realising that he had lost his audience Xander looked to see what had caught the other men's attention. "Oops, I'll see your Damn and raise you a Holy Shit!" Slapping Spike on the thigh he pointed to the clock showing 4:35, "we'd better get going, it's murder trying to get ash out the car's upholstery."

On an impulse Blair spoke up, "stay over." Looking to Jim for support he saw only agreement in those ice blue eyes. "My room is free, there's only a small window in there, one we could easily cover and we have black out blinds on all the windows in here.

Putting two and two together Xander remembered the stack of plaid shirts he'd folded after they'd arrived, looking from Jim to the small side room and then up to the sleeping space above. "You mean earlier I..."

Blair couldn't help but laugh, "Yes, thanks for your help moving."

Ignoring the sniggers of the other men Xander turned to Spike "what do you want to do?"

Looking at Xander Spike thought for a moment. It was obvious that the younger man wanted to stay in a place where they had both been made to feel so welcome. "If you are sure there won't be a problem with two Sentinels in close proximity then we should stay."

"Well we've managed this far, I think we can survive until morning without getting into a Sentinel pissing contest." Xander offered his opinion "what do you think Jim?"

In answer Jim went over to the closet and retrieved a length of heavy black out material. "You'll be needing this."

Taking the armful of cloth Xander headed into the small room to see what could be done to keep the deadly sunlight out. At the door he stopped and turned, "not that I'm complaining, but why do you have this stuff on hand?"

Blair was in the process of flipping a series of switches in a hidden panel beside the balcony door, as he flipped each switch a thick blind rolled down over another window, firmly blocking out any chink of light that might intrude come morning. "Some nights Jim just couldn't sleep because of the light from these windows, we had a white noise generator installed up there a few years back too. He's a lot less cranky when he gets a good night's sleep."

"Hey!" Jim objected to the last comment but it was plain from the look that the two men shared that there was no animosity involved. "That reminds me..." and Jim disappeared back into the closet, emerging moments later with a small electronic device of some kind which he offered to Spike.

"Thanks," Spike examined the device from all angles before looking up at Jim, "what is it?"

"It's a portable white noise generator, turn it on and leave it in the corner of the room, it'll help block out a lot of the outside sounds that might make it difficult for Xander to sleep." Jim explained as he showed Spike the power switch on the compact unit.

Blair hadn't spent much time in Jim's space before, so finding himself the first one there after getting their guests settled he was interested to look about him. Hearing Jim reach the top of the stairs he turned to ask where his stuff had been put. However on catching sight of the other man all speech fled. Standing before him was the feral Sentinel he'd only encountered a few times before.

As he watched the other man's eyes seemed to flash with a golden light before settling back to a vibrant blue even more intense than their usual icy shade. Blair swallowed around the massive lump that had appeared in his throat as Jim stalked the few paces that brought him across the room and squarely into Blair's personal space.

Pressing his full length against his Guide Jim leaned in and softly kissed the younger man, tongue barely flickering against the slightly parted lips before it was withdrawn and the kiss ended.

Closing his eyes Blair took a deep, shuddering breath, "please tell me that you're ready" he begged.

Shifting his weight slightly Jim brought his own hardness firmly into contact with Blair's. "I'm so far beyond ready," he growled softly and this time the kiss was hard, devouring Blair's mouth as one hand slid up into the silken curls and the other curled around a hip as he pulled him into a firm rocking motion that swiftly drove both men to the edge.

Blair's hands came up to push futilely at Jim's shoulders for a few moments before the movement broke through the haze clouding Jim's mind and he broke off, breathless and wanting more. "Jim, if we don't stop then I'm going to come here and now!"

"Will you be able to get it up again?" Jim managed.

Blair thought about it for a moment and realised that there was no question, "yes."

"Then come for me!" and Jim's hips drove forwards once, twice, three times more and both men were coming, shuddering against each other, holding on tight as if that grip was the only thing keeping each of them vertical.

Recovering first Jim pulled back, panting slightly as he regained his breath whilst starting in on the buttons of Blair's warm, flannel shirt. By the time Blair had recovered his senses enough to be aware of what was going on he was down to sticky boxer shorts which Jim quickly stripped off of him before using the discarded shirt to wipe him clean.

Leaning against the wall Blair watched as Jim stepped back to admire his work. Just having those eyes on him Blair felt himself begin to harden once again. He wanted to step forward and remove the clothes that appeared moulded to that well-muscled form. But he was still shaky from that earth shattering orgasm so instead he simply stood and watched as Jim efficiently took off his t-shirt and jeans revealing sculpted muscles and smooth, lightly bronzed skin. As Jim stepped out of his own sticky underwear the poor, abused shirt was put to work once more. Blair's instinctive objection died on his lips as he admired the perfection before him.

The sight finally gave him the strength he needed to push off the wall and step into his Sentinel's waiting arms. Enclosing his Guide in a warm embrace Jim allowed himself to flop down onto the bed, taking Blair with him so that they landed nose to nose in a tangled heap.

With a huff of laughter Blair leaned in to place a swift kiss on the end of Jim's nose, "prat" he murmured affectionately.

"Hey, it got me where I wanted to be." Stated Jim as he rolled over to cover Blair's body with his own before catching his lover's lips in a searing kiss that soon had both men burning with need and desire once more.

Again it was Blair who pulled back from the kiss. "Jim, please" he groaned, barely able to put together an intelligible sentence. "Need you, please."

Jim wasn't much better off but, as the meaning of Blair's words sank in the fear of doing something wrong and hurting his Guide caused his eyes to flash golden again as the feral Sentinel fought against his civilised cage. That fear pulled him back from the edge and he was able to manage a coherent question. "What do I do?"

Desperate he closed his eyes and concentrated for a few moments on pushing down the need that had driven him from the first instant he had turned and seen the flash of gold in Jim's eyes. With the desire burning within him reduced to a manageable level Blair opened his eyes and took a deep breath. They were really going to do this, "we need something slick" he murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

Jim turned away to rummage through the drawer in his bedside table. When he finally turned, back he was triumphantly clutching the small bottle of astro-glide he kept for those rare occasions when the pressure became too much and he needed to pleasure himself.

Time blurred in a haze of lust, want, need and love as Blair struggled to retain sufficient control to instruct Jim. But Jim was an intelligent man and with Blair's expert instruction he quickly caught on to what was needed. Soon both men were riding an incredible wave of sensation that left them breathless and sated, sharing a bond that could never be broken.

When Jim came back to himself he found he was lying full-length on top of his lover while Blair's hands trailed gentle patterns over the skin of his back. Blair was showing no signs of distress but Jim knew that he was no light-weight and in moving to shift his weight off of the smaller man he slipped clear causing Blair to moan in protest at the loss.

Settling down alongside his lover Jim tugged on a hip to pull Blair round until they lay nose to nose. Craning his neck very slightly Jim was able to lay a soft kiss on those tempting lips before whispering, "thank you."

Blair only smiled before kissing him back just as softly and snuggling in, closing his eyes and quickly falling into sleep.

Downstairs, having watched Jim walk up the stairs to the upper level Xander entered the small room that had until very recently been Blair's room. Inside he found Spike leaning against a small desk that still held some of Blair's books and papers. Cocking his head for a moment he listened carefully.

"Hear anything?" Spike asked, curious.

"No, it's strange, like there's a hole in the world, I know that Jim and Blair are up there but I can't hear anything."

Nodding to the small box on the back of the desk Spike smiled, "it's doing its job then."

Unconsciously mirroring Jim's actions above his head Xander stepped forward into Spike's personal space and kissed his Guide deeply. "Hmm," he hummed in appreciation, "you know, I seem to remember certain promises being made for when that chip had been removed."

"Ahhh" replied Spike thoughtfully. "You remember that do you?"

"Yes I do." Xander softened the bald statement with another gentle kiss.

"Well, never let it be said that I'm not a vampire of my word," and with that Spike set to work to swiftly and efficiently divest Xander of his clothes.

Xander couldn't help but be amused at the complete lack of romance as Spike concentrated wholeheartedly on his task so that very soon after Xander stood before him, completely naked, whilst his clothes adorned the room about them.

"You, my love, are definitely over-dressed" Xander smirked as he locked eyes with the still fully clothed vampire before him. Something in his words must have struck a chord because Spike's face blanked completely for a moment before he was suddenly ripping off his own clothing with vampire speed.

As soon as he was naked Spike stepped impossibly closer, kissing Xander with an intensity that made the room spin for the younger man. It was only when he felt the extended canines clashing against his own teeth that Xander realised that he was kissing Spike in full vamp-face. Something deep inside made him think that this wasn't a great idea but that still, small voice was quickly overwhelmed by the passion rolling off the vampire in waves.

As quickly as it had begun the kiss was over and Xander found himself turned to face the wall and pushed down to his knees at the side of the bed. A firm hand on his shoulder had him bending forwards and he quickly turned his head to one side so as not to bury his face in the quilt. Trepidation seized him for a moment as he feared that he was about to be taken now, dry and with no preparation but as soon as the fear raised its ugly head it was banished. Spike wouldn't do that, and then he felt it, cool fingers playing his body like a harp, pulling noises from him that he didn't know he could make. Finally Xander appreciated the benefits of a older lover as Spike's patience and experience had Xander flying high, keeping him on a knife edge until that edge crumbled away leaving him falling, falling forever into blackness.

Spike would forever deny it if asked, but he was pretty sure that he too had blacked out just for a moment there. Shaking off the last of the fog of lust that had shrouded his mind since Xander had called him by that sweet name, Spike withdrew from Xander's body and cleaned them both up before manhandling the larger body into the bed, crawling in behind him and curling around him in their usual sleeping position. As he settled into place he couldn't help but whisper, "did you mean it?" He hadn't realised that Xander was still awake until he sleepily replied, "of course I meant it." And he drifted off to sleep to Xander's final words, "my love."

A/N : Well there it is, please review.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note :** No reviews last chapter, very disappointing, I hope that this one incites a little more interest. Apologies for the slightly shorter chapter this time but there's quite a lot going on and it seemed a suitable place to stop. Please read, enjoy and review, and if you don't enjoy reviews are even more important, how can I improve if you don't tell me where I'm going wrong! 

Chapter 20

Detective John Jones had been working the night shift in the Cascade Major Crimes unit for the last three years. A short man, plump and slightly balding he was as non-descript as his name. A name that the night shift Captain still couldn't remember much to the ambitious Detective's annoyance.

He watched the white-clad back of the runner from the lab as it disappeared behind the closing doors of the elevator and then he slid his gaze back to that darkened room behind the shining glass walls. Every Detective in the unit wanted in on the task force investigating the serial killer currently hunting among the citizens of Cascade. Detective Jones was no exception, he had applied repeatedly but been rejected each time.

Now it looked like they'd finally got a break in the case, if he didn't get in on it soon then the case might well be solved and who knew when another career maker like this might come along. Jones needed to get into that office and see what results the lab had found, maybe if he could get the jump on those glory hounds from the day shift then he could still get his share of the headlines.

Looking around the bullpen he saw the other Detectives of the night shift. Detectives Longmeier and Fox were poring over a PC, using the internet to chase down leads whilst Detectives Flower and Fenwick looked to be getting ready to hit the streets.

Keeping his head down Jones carried on with his work, all the while keeping an eye on the other residents of the bullpen. Half an hour later his patience was rewarded, Flower and Fenwick had left to re-interview a night-club owner and Captain Barrett who ruled the night-shift with a rod of iron had finally left his office, heading down to the weekly meeting of night shift commanders. As he left he stopped by Longmeier's desk and had a quick word with the two men working there who swiftly finished their current search before packing away and heading for home.

Jones didn't know why Captain Barrett had chosen to send the other two men home early, or why he had been overlooked but he could only be glad of it when he found himself alone in the bullpen. Picking up a random sheet of paper to provide an excuse if anyone showed up while he was in Captain Banks office Jones walked purposefully across to the closed office door. Trying to look nonchalant, as if there was nothing more normal than for him to be sneaking into this office whilst the owner was absent. He firmly twisted the door-knob and walked immediately to the desk. Running his eyes down the sheet of paper conveniently draped over the keyboard he quickly took in the details.

He'd feared he would need to risk using the office copier but the details were clear and easy to remember. The blood supplied matched back to Erik Smithson, one of the four victims found at the most recent crime scene. Jones looked at the address where the sample had been found and instantly recognised it. His mother had lived in Federal Way all her life, she'd been a regular customer of Artie Van Den Haus until his death. Since then John had had to listen to her complain long and bitterly about how the business had gone downhill since that stuck-up daughter of theirs, Lauren, had taken over.

Looking at his watch Jones saw that it was past four o'clock in the morning, his shift ended soon and anyway, he was the only one left in the office, who was going to complain if he left a little early. He could finish up what he was doing and be at that butcher's shop by five, he could pick up some of their sausages, one of the few things his mother didn't complain about from that shop, and be at her house in time for breakfast. She didn't sleep much these days and would welcome an early morning visit from her only son. Besides thought Jones, if he happened to see some incriminating evidence whilst he was in the shop he'd be able to make a solo arrest on one of the biggest cases in recent Cascade history, surely that'd get him fast-tracked to Captain.

Happy with his plan Jones completed his current task and took a few minutes to check over his weapon before grabbing his jacket and heading for the elevators whistling a jaunty tune. His career was finally looking up, Captain Barrett would certainly remember his name after this!

Forty-five minutes later he pulled into a parking spot just down the street from the old butcher's shop. The place was definitely looking run-down, it was a wonder they had any customers left, still the extended opening hours were sometimes very useful especially to shift workers like himself.

Getting out of the car he carefully patted his hip, verifying that his weapon was secured in its usual place, then checked his breast pocket for the comforting bulge of his Detective's badge. With promotion firmly in the forefront of his mind he straightened his narrow shoulders, sucked in his substantial gut and thrust out his scrawny chest before striding purposefully to the door of the shop and firmly pulling it open.

Stepping into the harshly lit interior he saw a large man in blood stained butcher's whites dragging trays of meat products from a large refrigerator at the back of the store and shoving them roughly into the display cabinets. Watching the man Jones wondered why he looked so nervous, then he smiled, obviously the man had something to hide. That promotion loomed ever larger in his thoughts.

Looking carefully around him for any pretext he could use to demand access to the backroom Jones stepped up to the counter and placed his order. Deciding to step up the pressure he briefly flashed his badge at the man while seeming to be searching his pockets for his wallet. His ploy succeeded beyond his wildest dreams as the man behind the counter snatched up the tenderising mallet from the meat preparation surface behind the serving area he swung it in a wide arc as he spun around connecting solidly with the side of Jones' head.

Jones went down like a pole-axed steer and the butcher, Dave moved with surprising quickness for a man of his size. He grabbed the unconscious man by the arms and pulled him through the plastic curtain into the backroom. Jones had been right about the nervousness he thought he saw in Dave's eyes, unfortunately for him he'd been completely wrong about its cause.

Dave had been there the previous evening when those two fairies had been in to purchase the special merchandise. It had been him who had brought the bag through from the back room and he had been sickened by the sight of the blond kissing and fondling the larger brunette. Silently he'd witnessed the fight between Dieter and Laura and after Dieter had left he'd made sure to stay where he could see the front door and the stairs up which the other man had disappeared.

A little over an hour later when Dieter returned, hurrying down the stairs from the living quarters Dave strained all his attention to try to hear the muffled conversation between his two bosses, all the while trying to appear unconcerned. The only word he caught was cops but that was bad enough. Then Dieter was throwing him the keys to the shop with instructions to lock up after the late trade was done and to open up in the morning before hustling Laura out of the shop and away.

Dave had passed a sleepless night, wondering whether or not to turn up to work in the morning. In the end he had decided to turn up and to play it by ear from then on. Dieter, Laura or Dave always opened up to cover the early trade. None of the other lads had been let in on the special merchandise yet, they knew there was something going on but no details. Dave worked quickly to make sure all trace of the cop was cleared out of the front of the shop before the other lads got in. It was clear to him now that Dieter and Laura had legged it, leaving him and the others holding the bag. Well Dave might not be that bright but if he was going down he'd make damn sure those in charge went down with him.

Dragging Jones into the back room he quickly had the man bound and suspended by his ankles from a meat hook. Looking around he saw that no-one had had a chance to clean up after the vagrant had made his donation the previous evening. Normally both Dieter and Laura were very careful to ensure nothing was left lying around that could link them to anything unsavoury, it seemed they'd been too rattled by whatever Dieter had discovered on his little trip out to remember that last night.

Dave didn't normally get involved in the blood letting, having been employed more for his imposing bulk than his manual dexterity, but still he'd seen it done many times now and if he left a few bruises he didn't think his patient would be complaining, not for long anyway!. Pulling on a pair of the thin latex gloves he'd seen Laura use he fished out the equipment he'd seen Dieter using last night. Being careful to avoid touching anywhere that he thought fingerprints might have been left made him a little clumsy but soon enough he had a steady stream of thick red liquid flowing from Jones' veins into one of the stash of hospital blood bags that were always on hand.

They seemed to make enough money selling this stuff, he figured if he had to run he might as well take something to earn a little walking around money. The first few bags filled quickly enough, however after the fourth the flow slowed significantly. Carefully using gloved fingers to check his victims pulse Dave found it sluggish, 'not much longer now' he thought. Checking around he found a used pair of the latex gloves, they must have been Laura's, Dieter never wore them, too cocky by half that damn kraut. Thinking himself lucky that she'd been too angry over Dieter's behaviour, trying to talk a punter out of making a buy that she'd forgotten to throw the used gloves in the incinerator. He gathered them up and carefully wiped them in a few drops of spilled blood before tossing them on the floor between the body, he'd checked definitely a body now, and the incinerator as if they'd been accidentally left by someone leaving in a hurry.

Stuffing the four bags he'd got into a cooler he looked around him, nodding in satisfaction at the scene before carefully bolting the interior door to the front of the shop, shrugging into his jacket and leaving quietly out the back. Tom and Si, the two lads out front today wouldn't be surprised at finding the door locked. Although they hadn't been initiated into the out of hours trade that provided most of the profit for the shop, they knew that something underhand went on behind that door and they knew to keep out if they knew what was good for them.

Dave had been right, Dieter and Laura had left in a hurry. Dieter explained what he'd seen and heard as he re-traced his steps with Laura, back to the motel where he had lost Spike and his toy-boy. Laura finally managed to get a word in as she was practically dragged across the parking lot, "So you got their room number and a spare key from the clerk?" she asked.

"Yes, I told you, a little 'thrall' and he gave me everything I needed!" Dieter sounded impatient as he continued to pull Laura towards Spike's room.

"And where did you hide the body?" the infuriating woman asked next.

This stopped Dieter cold and he turned to face her, "what body?" he asked confused.

"The clerk's" she sounded exasperated at the blank look on his face, then she realised what it meant, "you don't mean you left him alive, after letting him see your face, telling him exactly who you were interested in you left him alive!"

"Of course I left him alive, this place would be swarming with cops by now if I hadn't, he must get a hundred people asking similar questions of one guest or another every day, he's hardly going to remember one more amongst all the others." Dieter tried to resume his course to the motel room, it was about ten o'clock in the evening by now and there were still enough people around that he didn't want to be observed out in the open if he could help it.

Laura however had other ideas, pulling her hand free of his grasp she looked around them, then spotting an empty beer bottle on the low wall surrounding the parking lot she marched over to it, grabbing it around the neck and with a hefty swing smashing it on the wall where it had been sat. Now with makeshift blade in hand she set off to the small reception area and the hapless clerk currently sat with his feet up, swigging from another beer bottle and watching some disaster movie on the small TV intended to be used for the security system. Closing the door behind her Laura gave the man a sultry smile that was completely wasted as he never took his eyes from the grainy screen in front of him.

Stepping up to the desk Laura tried again, clearing her throat delicately and tapping on the small bell to gain the man's attention. Finally, grudgingly he dragged himself away from the movie, dropping his feet to the floor and climbing to his feet. He was a small man with the pale, pasty complexion of the habitual night-worker. Beer still firmly in hand he greeted Laura with a belligerent "Well?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you," she started tentatively, trying to look as unintimidating as possible, not difficult for such a petite woman, "but one of the cars out front seems to have been vandalised."

Her words galvanised the man into action, "which one? not the Chevy?" he asked hurrying around the desk to get a look.

"I'm not sure" Laura tittered fluttering one hand whilst keeping the other carefully out of sight, "I'm not good with cars."

Shouldering her rudely out of the way the clerk never realised his mistake as an arm snaked around his head from behind and a hand wielding a broken bottle slashed viciously at his throat. Blood spurted wildly and Laura kept a tight hold from behind, attempting to control the man's death throes, finally lowering his lifeless body to lie at her feet. Leaning over the desk she grabbed a napkin from some long forgotten take-away and used it to wipe over the bell push and the door handle, both inside and out. Finally wiping off the makeshift weapon as best she could she dropped in a wilting rose bush by the reception door and headed back to Dieter, still stood aghast in the middle of the parking lot.

"Well come on then! I thought you wanted to get to their room before they get back from wherever they disappeared off to!" She demanded and Dieter shook his head before leading her once more towards the room, he didn't know whether to be shocked or turned on at the casual way she had killed the clerk. Still, looking at the blood soaked cuff of her sleeve and the smear of blood down one leg from where she had lowered the corpse he knew he had to get her out of sight quickly.

Reaching the door to Spike's room Dieter knocked briskly to be sure the other vampire wasn't home. Listening intently he quickly assured himself that the room was indeed empty and using the key supplied by the, now deceased, clerk opened the door and hurried Laura inside. It took a moment for them to untangle themselves from the folds of the heavy cloth covering the door but soon they stood inside the room of their quarry.

"Now what?" Laura asked, looking around with a slight sneer at the vague untidiness.

"Now we wait" Dieter paused before gesturing to the bathroom, "and you'd better go clean up."

Looking down at herself Laura realised that she hadn't done as good a job in controlling the clerk's final moments as she had hoped and, already slipping out of her blood soaked shoes and stained sweater, she followed his advice and headed for the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later Laura was sat on the furthest bed watching Dieter with some amusement. Clean now and dressed in a t-shirt she had scavenged from an open duffle bag to replace her ruined sweater she watched as he stood at the side of the window, furtively peering round the edge of the blackout curtain as he held it away from the wall with two fingers.

At around one there was a disturbance as the clerk's body was apparently found. Blue flashing lights could be vaguely seen through the heavy blackout material and sirens pierced the night. They heard the heavy tramp of booted feet as the local cops conducted a door to door search, and when that knock fell on the door of this room they sat in breathless silence until the unknown cop moved on. Even that excitement didn't last forever and soon enough everything was quiet once more.

All through the long night they sat and waited, eventually Dieter abandoned his post by the window although several times he sprang up to check at the sound of a car engine outside the room. However each time was a false alarm as the new arrivals went to one room or another but never this one. Eventually Laura lay down on one of the beds and drifted off to sleep, leaving Dieter to keep watch alone until finally the boredom and the soft sound of Laura's breathing lulled even him to sleep and he slipped into a restless doze.

It was eight o'clock the next morning when the deep throated roar of a muscle car pulling up outside the room ripped Dieter from sleep and still only partially awake he sprang to the window and jerked the heavy cloth aside to be greeted with the bright rays of the morning sun. Screaming he dropped the curtain and staggered back clutching his face. It was a glorious spring morning and the light had caught him full on, it had only been a brief exposure but even so his skin was red and blistered, both eyes were bloodshot, his retinas seared by the light, scorched eyebrows filling the room with the acrid smell of burnt hair.

Laura, dragged from sleep by the scream quickly took in Dieter's condition and brushing off his injuries as trivial she took his place at the curtain to check whether their prey had finally arrived.

**AN:** Well there it is, please let me know what you think.


	21. Chapter 21

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who is reading this story and apologies for the long wait between chapters, I'm sorry I'm just not that fast a writer. Especial thanks to jules3677, alfredo joy and Charlotte Thornton for your reviews, they are greatly appreciated as always. Things are definitely coming to a head, I think there are probably only 3-4 chapters left, please read and enjoy.

Chapter 21

Spike woke first, Xander still lay sleeping quietly in his arms and he was glad of the time to think. He'd known that he was falling in love, but Xander's words last night had taken him by surprise. But even more than the words, his own reaction to those words had, quite frankly, scared him.

He'd once called himself 'Love's Bitch' and anyone who knew him well knew it was true. Of course he made sure that there weren't too many who could truthfully claim to know him well but even so, stories get around. A vampire with the capacity to love, there were fanatics on both sides who'd give anything to see him dust. Those on the side of the righteous who felt that love was purely the province of the soul, who felt that his very existence was blasphemy, were even more enraged that a creature of darkness should profess to feel such an emotion. Whilst there were those among the demon-kind who felt that their entire race was tainted, lessened by the existence of one such as he.

What neither side seemed to understand was the strength it had taken to form such a being. It was well known that the soul fled the body as the demon entered, but the essence of the person who had once resided within remained until it was beaten into submission by the strength of the demonic presence. But that hadn't happened at Spike's turning. The young man with the heart and soul of a poet had done what far stronger men before him had failed to do. His soul had fled but the essence that remained, the essential basis of who he was had fought the demon to a standstill, until eventually the two forces had bonded within him over the knowledge that, wielded properly, love could form a more devastating weapon than any blade ever forged.

That epic battle within him had kept him from rising the first night. Darla, furious that Dru had been allowed to turn him in the first place had been quietly smug, convinced that Dru had made a mistake. She had demanded that they leave the body and move on but Dru refused, insisting that her darling boy would rise and Angelus must have been in a mood to pander to her madness for he supported her and so they stayed and they waited. Dru alternated between spinning around the room, staring up at the stars as if the ceiling didn't exist and sitting with William's head in her lap as she stroked his hair and whispered nonsense to him of how it would be once he awoke. And awake he did, late on the second night, when Angelus was beginning to regret the whim that had led him to give in to Dru's demands.

Spike had loved Dru from the moment he had awakened to his new unlife, he had proved over and over again that he would kill for her, given the opportunity he would have proved that he would die for her. If only she had remained faithful to him, but she hadn't, she had lost the capacity for love, for faithfulness at Angelus' hands, along with her sanity and her humanity.

Now, as Spike watched Xander sleep he knew that in this young man he had found something infinitely more precious than anything he had ever had before. Last night Xander had called him 'my love', it had slipped free without conscious thought and was all the more precious for that. At the sound of the words something primal, something fundamental had settled into place within Spike and he had known that this was it for him. A driving need had settled upon him, the need to complete his bond with the young man with the teasing smile and the laughing brown eyes. Once that need had been satisfied he had slipped into sleep without time for further thought but now, watching his lover he knew that this was forever, he would never turn Xander and he knew that Xander would never ask that of him. One day, hopefully many, many years from now, Xander would go the way of all flesh, and on that day Spike would do what Angel had once attempted. Only Spike would not fail, would not be thwarted by an unseasonable snowfall. No he would take a walk in the sun and he would never be alone again.

At the thought his arms unconsciously tightened around Xander's sleeping form and the young man awoke, more than usually constricted by his octopus of a sleeping partner. Knowing as he did how careful Spike usually was to keep his vampiric strength in check around those humans he cared for Xander laid his arms over those currently compressing his torso and hugged back as best he could in this position. He didn't know what had caused Spike to feel he had to hold on so tight, but he instinctively needed to reassure his lover that he wasn't going anywhere.

Feeling the returned pressure Spike realised just how tight his grip had gotten and quickly slackened his hold. He wasn't able to let go entirely though as Xander was still holding his arms in place. With room to move now Xander held the hug for a few moments more before releasing Spike. Once convinced that Spike wasn't going to withdraw from him he squirmed around within the cage of those strong arms to enfold his lover in an embrace of his own.

And so they lay entwined together for several long minutes until Spike drew in a long, shuddering breath and shook off the melancholy feelings bought on by the direction his thoughts had taken him. Pulling back slightly he looked into Xander's open face and saw only quiet concern in those warm, brown eyes.

"you OK?" Xander asked.

"'m good" Spike replied and he realised that it was true, as long as he had Xander he was fine and a deep wave of contentment settled over him and he smiled. Running a hand through Xander's hair he asked "are you OK?"

"You're here, of course I'm OK, after all what's a couple of cracked ribs between friends." joked Xander.

Spike pulled back in horror, or at least he tried to but a laughing Xander held him close "I'm joking, I'm fine." and seeing that Spike wasn't entirely ready to believe him he tightened his hold, "really, I'm fine." and he dropped a chaste kiss onto the end of Spike's nose.

Convinced that Xander really was fine Spike relaxed into the embrace for a moment before briefly exerting his strength to push Xander over on to his back as he himself surged upwards to end up sitting astride his prey easily holding a laughing Xander's arms above his head.

"What am I going to do with you whelp?" he growled playfully and instantly the mood changed as Xander was no longer trying to get away but instead striving to get closer. Grinding his hips down into his lover Spike leaned in and plundered those luscious lips in an intense kiss that quickly had them both groaning with need.

Then just as suddenly they were groaning for a different reason as someone rapped sharply on the flimsy doors and Blair's voice called out, "Come on guys, up an' at 'em, we've got a surprise for you."

"We'll be right out!" called Xander.

Spike slumped down on top of him, "do we have to?" he whined, nuzzling the side of Xander's neck.

Just as quickly the mood had changed back to playful and with a laugh Xander clasped Spike close to him as he rolled to put the vampire beneath him. Placing a chaste kiss on Spike's forehead this time Xander moved to stand up only to find his hips held in a cast-iron grip. "Going somewhere Luv?"

Now it was Xander's turn to whine as he tried to twist himself free, "but they've got a surprise for us."

Spike smiled up at his lover as he easily maintained his hold on Xander's hips as they squirmed in his grasp. He loved seeing this playful side of the younger man, it was something he hadn't seen for far too long. "OK, you can go." he said but as Xander tried once more to pull away he kept his firm hold, "if you pay a toll," he added.

"Oh yes?" asked Xander finally giving up the battle and allowing his full weight to rest on the smaller man. "And what would that be?"

"This" was all the reply he got as Spike released his hips and grasped his head instead, pulling him in for a searing kiss. Xander's lips swiftly parted allowing Spike's tongue entrance and they spent the next few minutes eagerly verifying the presence of each other's tonsils.

Finally they parted and, with a satisfied smirk, Spike slapped Xander on the rear, "off to the shower with you whelp!"

"Oi" jolted out of his pleasant daze Xander grunted in annoyance as he rubbed at the abused area, then a thoughtful expression settled on his face, "you know we could save time by sharing a shower." he suggested hopefully.

"I don't think so" Spike replied and rolling them once more he quickly tipped Xander over the edge of the narrow bed and onto the floor where he landed with an oomph.

Laying on the floor looking up into Spike's laughing face Xander's thoughts unknowingly ran parallel to Spike's earlier musings. To see his lover laughing with such honest happiness made him realise that he'd never seen such openness from the vampire before. This stay in Cascade had been good for both of them and he would hate to leave, still he resolved there and then that when they did leave they would work hard to keep what they'd found here, they wouldn't slip back into the old paths.

Just as Xander was reaching up to get his revenge they were interrupted by a second rap on the door. "Get a move on, we don't want them to start the raid without us!" It was Jim this time and his reminder brought the horseplay to an end as Xander scrambled into his jeans and slipped out of the door to head for a swift shower.

It was seven o'clock by the time both their guests were washed and dressed and Xander at least had been fed. Now Blair could finally broach the subject that he and Jim had been puzzling over ever since they had awoken that morning. "Is there no way that you can go outside in the daylight?" he asked Spike.

Spike thought carefully before answering, "In Sunnydale I usually get around in the sewers if I need to move around during the day, but that's not what you mean is it?" He looked at the other two men and Blair gently shook his head, "No, I didn't think so, I've driven a car in daylight but the insides of all the windows were painted black with just the smallest gap for me to see through. I've occasionally had to run from the sewer outlet to the nearest building in daylight, usually covered in a blanket." Spike hung his head, even in this company where he felt relaxed and accepted, the admission was still humiliating.

Remembering those times that Spike had burst into a room smoking and patting out small fires in his hair or on his clothes Xander interrupted. "The blanket is not a good solution, legs and feet are still exposed, a sudden gust of wind and it's all over, it's too big of a risk." he stated categorically afraid of what they were going to ask Spike to do. Feeling Spike's hand covering his own he looked down to realise that he was holding on to Spike's other hand so tightly that the fingers were blanched completely white and now that he was conscious of what he was doing he could feel the bones grinding together as he held on for all he was worth.

Realising the pain he must be causing the vampire he jerked his hand back only to find it caught and held by Spike's covering hand. Looking up he met cool blue eyes that seemed to be laughing at him and he remembered when their positions had been reversed earlier that morning. With a rueful laugh he relaxed, trusting Spike not to agree to any unnecessary risks.

Jim had been watching the byplay between the two men with interest, he and Blair had actually known each other much longer than these two had from what he had been told, yet he could only hope that someday they would achieve the same level of unspoken communication that came so easily to Spike and Xander.

"That's pretty much what we thought." he said. "The thing is, Blair and I have had to go undercover a few times over the years and..." he paused, "well, we still have some of the clothing from those assignments here at the loft." He gestured over to the coffee table where there was a small pile of leather of some kind.

After surveying the pile from a distance Spike looked back to Jim and Blair only to receive an encouraging nod from each of the two men. Moving over to the small table he held up the top item, a heavy leather biker's jacket. When he turned back it was to see Blair holding a motorcycle helmet with a heavily polarised visor which he had apparently conjured from thin air. "Would it work?" Jim asked and Spike desperately wanted to say yes, to be able to take part in the raid that they all knew would be going down very shortly in a butcher's shop in Federal Way.

He didn't need to look at Xander to know the anxious look that the young man would be struggling to hide. "It might, for a while but all it takes is for me to move my head wrong and the helmet pulls away from the collar leaving an opening for the sunlight to get to my skin, or the jacket rides up away from the trousers and I'm in the wind." he paused for effect, "literally!"

Now Blair was blushing, for what reason Spike had no idea and Jim wasn't looking half as disheartened as Spike thought he should be. Instead the big man came over and started rummaging through the pile and at this close range Spike could see that there appeared to be a slight flush of colour staining Jim's face as well. Finally Jim straightened holding a garment that had been hidden at the bottom of the pile, "you see there was this other undercover mission," Jim looked extremely uncomfortable now as he tried to explain and Blair was no help at all as he stood there quite obviously wishing the floor would open up and swallow him whole. If he ever came to Sunnydale, Spike thought, he'd have to be very careful what he wished for.

"In a sex club!" the words burst forth, apparently unbidden from Xander's mouth and as soon as he uttered them he slapped both hands across his mouth as if to try to force them back in.

Jim only looked more uncomfortable as he proffered the garment, a black, latex rubber leotard with no arms or legs but an attached balaclava style hood. Spike took it, examining how thin and supple the material was whilst still remaining completely impervious to light. He looked over to Blair who had to have been the one to wear this originally, anything made for Jim would have swamped his slight frame. Blair seemed to be recovering his composure and twitching the hem of his plaid shirt he simply muttered, "layers are the key."

Spike felt a surge of confidence growing within him. This could just work, the one piece leotard would cover neck, waist anyplace where conventional clothes might part and expose his skin to the sun, whilst the outer wear would maintain just the right image for 'The Big Bad'.

Laura was too late to see who got out of the car that had pulled up outside the hotel room. Giving up on her attempts to see round corners she allowed the heavy curtain to fall back into place and instead listened to the sound of footfalls on the concrete walkway outside. The tension inside the room rose to painfully high levels as the sound of two pairs of feet approached the door, however they passed on without a pause and soon after the faint sound of the next door along opening was heard through the thin hotel walls.

Laura released the breath that she had been holding and turned back to survey the damage Dieter had sustained from his brief exposure to the morning sun. The wounds looked painful and the damage to his eyes worried Laura, a blind vampire was of no use to her.

"How bad is it?" she asked gesturing to his face.

Surveying her through red-rimmed, bloodshot eyes Dieter seemed to consider his answer carefully, "no permanent damage," he finally answered, "but I will need to feed to completely heal."

Immediately Laura reached up to brush back her long, dark hair exposing the pale column of her neck.

Dieter was so entranced at the sight that he almost missed her next words, "if you turn me!" and she let the curtain of hair fall to cover her neck once more.

He had no intention of turning this woman. She had far too much control over him as it was. As a human she assumed the dominant role but Dieter knew that that was only possible because he allowed it. If he chose he could take back that role at any time. As a vampire however he feared that she would soon subjugate him and that was not something he was prepared to allow. However for now he needed to feed and if a strong moral compass had never been a problem when he was alive, it certainly wasn't going to hold him back now.

"Of course!" he lied as he stepped close and cupped her jaw, "but not now, after Spike and his little playmate are dead."

Laura pouted and gazed up at him through her lashes, "why not now?" she asked as she twirled a lock of lustrous hair idly around her fingers.

"We're trapped in here until nightfall, I need you mobile," he explained, hurrying on when he saw the distrust in her eyes, "it would be at least 12 hours before you'd rise, possibly longer and you'd be vulnerable, we need to be somewhere safe, then I'll do it and you'll truly be my dark princess."

Disgruntled Laura agreed, she didn't like it but she couldn't help but see the logic of his argument. Sweeping her hair back off of her neck once again she tilted her head in a silent offering which Dieter wasted no time in accepting. As his elongated canines sunk into the virgin flesh of her throat Laura's breath hissed in surprise, there was an instant of pain as the skin was broken, but as soon as the blood began to flow a euphoric feeling began to build, coiling in her gut and without thought her hands came up to hold him to her.

Dieter couldn't help a small smile as he carefully chose his spot to bite before sinking his fangs in and taking one, two, three long slow swallows of her blood. Stepping back he carefully surveyed his handiwork and the smile returned, there it was, a perfect claim mark on her lovely skin. No other vampire would dare to turn her now, at least not any of the weak, domesticated vampires who lived in the Cascade region.

Raising his eyes from the neat puncture holes he took in the delicate flush that now suffused her features, so perfect little Laura was not immune to the aphrodisiac properties of a vampire's bite, this day just got better and better. Enfolding her in his arms he gently manoeuvred her down onto the bed behind her, eager to take advantage of the need his bite had inspired within her.

Once decided Spike acted quickly, shucking out of his shirt and pulling the hem of his t-shirt swiftly over his head he was reaching for his belt before Xander's amused voice stopped him.

"Uh, Spike..."

Spike looked up to see Xander gesturing back towards the small bedroom they had just left whilst Blair and Jim stood looking uncomfortable trying not to watch his impromptu strip show. "Humans!" he muttered under his breath before gathering up the pile of clothing and striding off to change, grabbing Xander's wrist as he passed and pulling the young man along with him.

Inside the room Spike quickly finished removing his clothes whilst Xander examined the strange garment that would allow Spike to move around in daylight without igniting. The heavy material felt surprisingly soft and supple in his hands with a slight give to it so that he felt it would move and stretch like a second skin when worn. The hood was something else entirely, he'd at first thought it to be like a balaclava, however on closer examination he realised that there were no holes, eyes, nose, mouth, all would be covered completely. Whilst that would be good for light proofing his lover a sightless vampire would be a danger to himself and others.

Running his hands over the hood he felt an almost imperceptible difference in the texture of the material on the inside and holding it up to his face he realised that there was a strip of some other material inserted across the eyes. Xander had seen Spike outside during the day, hiding in the shadows, he hoped the light that got through this strip would be diffuse enough not to be dangerous. It would barely be enough to allow a normal human a vague perception of what was going on around them, however with Spike's vampire enhanced vision he should be able to see perfectly clearly through the secret strip.

Looking up from his examination he saw Spike standing there, feet planted wide, hands on hips obviously waiting for him to finish. Suddenly his brain spluttered and all thought processes but one died, 'naked Spike!' 'Naked Spike,' the one thought repeated over and over in his head and he had taken a step forward before he even knew what he was doing. However, the garment in his hands got in the way as he reached for his lover jolting his brain back into action, and thrusting the item at Spike he turned to examine the doors. struggling to bring his raging libido under control.

Spike instantly knew the problem Xander was having, his sensitive nose picking up the surge of arousal as soon as the young man looked up from his examination of the outfit. If he'd been a nicer guy he'd have given him some time to get things under control but as a vampire he much preferred to make people suffer and so...

"Hey, a little help here." he called out and Xander turned back to see Spike apparently puzzling over which way round the latex outfit should go. After a brief dispute, which Xander won by pointing out the fairly impressive posing pouch Spike finally stepped into the garment, pulling it up to, at last, cover his nakedness. Now that Xander's brain was able to fire on all cylinders once more he was able to be a more active help and he moved around behind the vampire to pull up the zip which ran from the small of his back all the way up his spine to the crown of his head.

Not allowing himself to think how he must look in just the tight, hooded leotard Spike quickly pulled on the heavy leather pants and jacket before stamping into his well-worn and comfortable boots. He knew there was some risk of exposing a flash of ankle to the sun but it was a risk he was prepared to take and he eschewed the higher and rather cumbersome biker boots that the others had supplied in favour of familiarity.

Now fully dressed he stood and faced Xander who surveyed him critically. It was odd to Xander, facing that featureless mask although it certainly looked intimidating enough to please the most demanding of vampires, which, let's face it, Spike was!

"How're you doing in there?" he asked, wondering how humans were supposed to breath in such a get-up.

Spike's voice was a little muffled as it came through the latex but the reply was clear "Snug as a bug in a rug."

Xander let the weird Britishism pass, instead asking, "and you can see alright?" as he squinted with human vision trying unsuccessfully to see the secret strip that allowed the wearer to see out of the hood.

In answer Spike simply looked Xander up and down and the Sentinel needed very little imagination to picture the lascivious smirk twisting the hidden lips as he did so.

"Come on then." and Xander stood aside to allow Spike to precede him back into the main room of the loft where Jim and Blair were waiting. As they looked him over both men nodded in silent appreciation. Even clothed in the heavy leather Spike lost none of his predatory grace. Wordlessly Blair handed over the long gauntlets that completed the look and Spike tugged them on. They covered fully half of his forearms and Spike had no concern that his wrists would be exposed to the deadly sunlight.

Blair walked over to the panel that controlled the blackout blinds, "and ta da!" he exclaimed dramatically as he flicked the switches that rolled back the blinds and flooded the loft with the bright morning sunlight. Spike had to fight to control the impulse to flee as the deadly sunlight crept across the floor towards his boots. Then it was at his feet, sweeping up his legs until he stood, bathed in sunlight from head to toe, it looked like he would be taking a walk in the sun with his boy sooner than expected and without the incendiary finale.

Once they had established that Spike was safe inside his latex rubber and leather cocoon he quickly donned the helmet to cover up the slightly creepy, featureless mask and all four men headed over to the Cascade PD building.

They knew something was up as soon as they exited the elevator outside Major Crimes. They'd expected the place to be a hive of activity as preparations proceeded for the raid on the butcher's shop but this was something else. As soon as they pushed through the doors into the bullpen Simon looked up from his position stooped over Rafe's desk, examining something over the detective's shoulder. "My office, NOW!"

The four men exchanged glances, at a loss to explain the anger in Simon's voice but they dutifully altered course and filed into the small office. Gathering something from the desk the Captain followed them, grimly shutting the door and closing all the interior blinds in silence before taking his place behind his desk and staring hard at the figure in the bikers leathers and helmet.

Suddenly he seemed to make a decision and quick as thought his pistol was in his hand and pointed rock steady at the centre of that polarised visor. Everybody stood for a moment, stunned into immobility by the unexpected attack, then as one Xander, Blair and Jim leapt to stand between that weapon and Spike.

"Simon, what are you doing?" Strangely Jim was the first to speak as he confronted his long time friend.

In answer Simon simply threw down the papers he had brought into the office with him. He threw them with such force that they slid straight off the farside of the desk and cascaded to the floor where they spread out to show a grisly scene of a room seemingly painted in blood and countless shots showing the limp and lifeless body of a man with his throat apparently ripped out.

It was Blair who cautiously stepped out from his position between the two Sentinels and knelt to pick up the photos. Scanning them swiftly he passed them to Jim before looking back to the man he considered a friend, "I don't understand" he whispered as Simon stood, unwavering with his gun trained on Spike's head even through the two intervening bodies.

After quickly looking through the stack of pictures Jim handed the pile back to Xander. He was about to echo his partner's question when he was brought up short by a muffled obscenity from behind him. Carefully keeping his body interposed between Simon and the two men behind him he turned to see Spike examining a close-up of the dead man's face. "Spike?" he asked wondering what the other man had seen that he had missed.

Ignoring the question Spike reached up to remove the helmet before speaking in a strangely subdued tone. "Blair, cover those windows please. Xan, get the lights."

As soon as they had completed their tasks Xander and Blair made to step back into their positions as Spike's human shield but a sharp word from the vampire stopped them, "No, stay there" he ordered the two men, holding up his hands in the universal gesture for stop. Once assured that his instructions were being obeyed he pulled off the heavy gauntlets and dropping gloves and pictures on a convenient filing cabinet he reached for the zip on the crown of his head.

At last, with the mask flopping in front of his chest he stepped out from behind Jim and Simon tracked his every move, pistol still pointing unwaveringly between his eyes. Finally Simon spoke, his voice tight with anger "I don't know if this will kill you, but I'm willing to bet that a bullet to the brain will slow down even your kind."

"\You think I did this?" Spike asked, surprisingly calmly as he gestured towards the gruesome images.

"Why don't you tell us who that man was?" Simon answered with a question of his own.

"It's the night clerk from the Super 8 in Federal Way" he replied quietly "and we're wasting time if you want to catch his killer."

"Oh I think I've already caught his killer" said Simon viciously and his finger tightened visibly on the trigger.

"Simon no, you've got this all wrong." Jim interjected whilst making as if to step between Spike and the gun once more. A quick glance at the vampire stopped him however as he saw the tiny shake of his head that Spike directed his way. Instead he addressed his friend once more. "Spike was with us all night, we all stayed up talking until four and then he and Xander sacked out in the spare room for a few hours before we headed in here."

Simon's gun wavered for just a moment before snapping back into position, he examined his lead detective with a pained expression, "I don't know why you're lying to protect this monster but you forget Jim, I've been to the loft many times, you don't have a spare room!"

At that Blair quietly cleared his throat "we do now," he muttered, obviously embarrassed, "since I kinda movedupstairstoJim'sroom." He got the last words out in a rush that Simon obviously needed a few moments to decipher. However as soon as he did decipher them his head swivelled to rivet the curly haired detective.

For several long minutes he examined Blair until apparently satisfied he turned his attention to Jim who he subjected to an even longer examination. Finally he dropped his gun arm, "so, someone finally hit you two upside the head with a clue-by-four!"

A/N : Well there it is, let me know what you think, please review.


	22. Chapter 22

Authors Note : Well here it is, thank you to GuiltyPleasuresAndDeadlySins , alfredo joy, 00000909000000, Twillightfairy, dmr, k13cat, Kin Pandun, DragonMcBaine and Maldai for your reviews, they are much appreciated as always. DragonMcBaine, sorry about the age thing, that's the trouble when it takes me over four years to write a story! Please read, enjoy and review, and don't hate me!

Chapter 22

Four pairs of eyes zeroed in on the tall Captain of Detectives as four heads swivelled to pin him with four sharp looks, two amused, one confused and one simply resigned.

"What!" he asked defensively, it was unnerving to be the focus of these four men which was probably why he found himself channelling his son Daryl. Even worse it wasn't the Daryl of today but instead the one from the very worst of his teen-aged years.

Spike and Xander simply waved him off with amused smiles as Xander moved to help Spike cover up once more. Jim was next to drop his gaze, resignation clear in every line as he scrubbed a weary hand over his face. Blair was the last to look away but he finally turned his head to stare back towards the bullpen. His vision was blocked by the still closed blinds but in his minds eye he could picture all the detectives who would be out there, Rafe, Henri, Joel all good friends for many years. Had they all seen what he had only recently recognised? Perhaps he should hand back his Anthropology club decoder ring. He really had one, he'd got it out of a packet of cereal when he was fourteen and staying with one of his mom's many friends who would take him in for a while when his mom needed her space. It had been one of his most prized possessions ever since.

"Well shit!" he dragged his hand through his hair, left unconfined for a change, I guess that's what comes of working with some of the top Detectives in the city, he thought.

Suddenly there was a sharp rap at the door and at Simon's barked "Come" the door opened and Rafe stuck his head into the office.

"The warrant's here, the teams are leaving now Simon."

"Thanks, we'll be right out." He glanced around the men in his office, catching each one's eyes briefly, "ready to catch some bad guys?" he asked.

That was when Spike remembered the gruesome images of the murdered night clerk. "No, we have to get to the Motel!" he stated firmly, hurriedly thrusting his hands back into the heavy gauntlets and moving towards the door.

Xander quickly followed his guide, worried that if he didn't keep up he'd be left behind.

"Wait, what about the butcher's shop?" Jim asked as he tried to stop the vampire but Spike brushed him aside easily and pulling the door open he was gone.

Xander however was much easier to stop and Jim grabbed his arm as he passed, preventing him from leaving. Xander stared briefly out the door where Spike had disappeared before turning back to his captor. "If Spike didn't rip that man's throat out, who do you think did?" he asked baldly.

It was Blair who breathed the answer, "Dieter" and at the realisation Jim dropped Xander's arm and the young Sentinel hurried after his guide.

Jim only stayed long enough to fill Simon in, "Go to the butcher's shop, if they're right and Dieter is at the Motel then you won't need us. We're going with them, contact us when you know what's happening." With that the two remaining men ran from the office leaving Simon alone once more.

Jim and Blair were lucky to get to the elevators just as the doors to one of the cars opened and entering swiftly they stabbed the button for the parking level. When the doors opened once more they immediately saw the empty space next to the blue truck, Spike and Xander had already left and Jim and Blair were soon on their tail, lights flashing and siren wailing as they used all the facilities at their disposal to close the gap.

On reaching Federal Way Jim switched off the lights and siren, not wanting to alert Dieter to their arrival. As they drove past Home Depot Blair who had been watching through the window suddenly yelled out "Stop!" and as Jim slammed on the brakes of the truck and scanned the parking lot where Blair was pointing urgently. There, he saw what had caught Blair's attention, two men, one with longish, curly, brown hair, the other in full motorcycle gear walking back across the lot, each carrying a fairly bulky bag. Gunning the engine he pulled back into traffic for a few moments before taking the turning into Home Depot, pulling into the conveniently free space beside Xander's car just as the other two men reached it.

"Planning some home improvements?" Jim asked wryly as he nodded to the bags the men carried.

"Not quite" Xander replied pulling out a length of wood from the bag he held. It was about eighteen inches long with a square cross section, sharpened to a blunt point at one end. Delving into the bag again he pulled out a stout knife, short bladed but strong and sharp. "May I?" he asked with a nod towards the back of Jim's truck and at Jim's uncertain assent he threw the bag into the bed of the truck before stepping up onto the wheel and vaulting in after it. Then he settled cross-legged in the relative privacy afforded by the low sides and began sharpening the wooden stick.

It was Spike who explained his Sentinel's actions as he vaulted in beside the younger man without the need of a step up and started sharpening his own stick. "We left all our weapons in the motel room" he explained, "we expected to be going back last night or this morning to stock up before the raid."

"Stakes!" as soon as Jim heard the word from Blair's lips he darted a furtive look around the parking lot but no-one was paying any attention to them. In a surprisingly short amount of time Xander and Spike were done, each man had a small pile of neatly sharpened stakes in front of him. Each stake was double ended, the bodies smoothed down and rounded off to make for a better grip. Xander's were neater than Spike's but that made sense, how much experience would a vampire want in the stake sharpening business?

As the sound of whittling stopped and Xander placed the last, carefully crafted, stake upon his pile Jim became aware of a strange sound. Looking around him he focussed his attention on his hearing and soon zeroed in on the source of the sound. One ear cocked he stared at Spike in disbelief, the man was purring! As he watched Spike's arms came up above his head as he indulged in a bone cracking stretch looking like nothing so much as a big cat luxuriating in the warmth of the sun. Glancing at Xander Jim realised that the younger Sentinel had also heard the sound, Xander was carefully not looking at Spike and the gentle smile and adoring look in his eyes spoke volumes on the relationship between the two.

Jim was about to turn away, unwilling to interrupt the quiet moment in the back of his truck but Blair had no such qualms, "Hey, Spike, Man are you purring?"

Jim's face hit the palm of his right hand as his left swung up to gently cuff his oblivious partner on the back of the head.

Spike stopped mid stretch, mid purr and seemed to collapse in on himself, freezing for a moment but then the helmeted head shook gently and a quiet chuckle was heard, muffled through the heavy layers about his head. "I'm fine Blair, it's just..." he paused "I can feel the sun on my back, it's warming the leather, warming my skin," He rounded his shoulders, circling his head around with an appreciative hum, "It's been a long time."

There really was nothing anyone could say to that and the silence felt uncomfortable for the first time between the four of them. It was Xander who broke it, scooping up four of the new stakes and thrusting them at Jim before passing four more to Blair.

"What are we supposed to do with these?" Blair asked.

"Spares down the back of your pants, in your pockets, down your boot, anywhere you can get to them easily," Xander replied, suiting his actions to the words. "When we get to the motel have a stake ready, if you get the chance go straight for the heart," he indicated the spot on his own chest and both Jim and Blair found themselves copying his movements to locate the correct spot on their own chests.

"We'll try to keep him away from you but if you have to then strike hard and strike fast, straight for the heart, anything else will just piss him off!" Spike reinforced Xander's instructions and Jim felt a shiver run down his spine, he looked over to Blair, apparently the younger man felt it too, he looked about ready to lose his breakfast. As Jim watched Blair took a deep breath and seemed to steady himself before stashing away the stakes as instructed.

Jim followed suit before asking "what's the plan" the thought that he should be in charge never even entered his mind, in this fight he was the rookie and he knew it.

It was Xander who answered, "When we get to the motel, Spike will go in first. You've seen the blackout curtains over the door and windows," he waited for the quick nods from Jim and Blair before continuing. "He'll pull those down, clearing the doorway as quickly as possible, we come in behind him. From there it depends on what we find. Dieter will be trapped by the daylight, he may have minions in there with him, he may have hostages, we just don't know."

"MINIONS, there may be MINIONS" Blair's voice rose sharply, a slight edge of hysteria creeping in. "No-one said anything about minions."

Spike just shrugged "hey, some vampires have minions, I don't think Dieter will but it's a possibility."

"So, minions, hostages, anything else we should be aware of?" Jim asked.

Spike seemed to think for a moment, "Human flunkies," he finally offered, "that's more Dieter's speed anyway."

"You mean..." Blair paused, "Renfield?"

Spike just laughed but it was Xander's reaction that caught Jim's attention out of the corner of his eye as he watched the byplay between the two guides.

The same sick look that had occupied Blair's face earlier now graced Xander's features briefly as he flinched at the name. Jim got the distinct impression there was a story there and he made a mental note to ask about it when this was all over.

Planning complete they piled back into their respective vehicles to head for the motel.

Laura was angry, very angry! She and Dieter had had sex before, that wasn't the issue, the problem was that before she had always been in control. She knew that as a vampire Dieter was infinitely stronger than her but he had never shown any sign of wanting to wrest back control from her before. But when her mind had cleared from the haze induced by Dieter's bite she knew that this time had been different.

When she came back to herself Laura was so angry that she had defiantly pulled back the edge of the blackout curtain about a foot letting a wide band of bright sunlight fall across the closest bed. She then lay down in that sunny spot to watch out of the window for the return of the rooms proper occupants, or more likely, at this time of day, just the pretty boy toy who'd been with Spike the night before.

So now Dieter lay stretched out on the far bed trying to hide his anxiety as he watched the band of sunlight creep across the room. He knew Laura was angry, she might be the spitting image of Drusilla physically but her personality couldn't be more different. Where Drusilla was all fiery passion, Laura was all about control. Drusilla's anger would have been loud and violent, a raging fury swift to rise and dissipating just a quickly. Laura however was a completely different story, hers was a slow, sullen anger, smouldering, festering as she nurtured it deep inside and he knew he'd just have to wait it out.

Suddenly Laura sat upright, swinging her legs around as she stared intently through the window. Four men had just walked into her line of sight and one of them was the boy toy from the previous evening. That wasn't what had her heart hammering in her chest though, all four men carried wickedly sharpened stakes in their hands as they strode purposefully across the parking lot heading directly for this room. Several thoughts chased each other through her head but one quickly emerged triumphant. Dieter had abused her trust and here was a perfect opportunity for some payback.

Dieter was standing now too, he knew something was up and was staring at the curtains covering the door hefting the short sword he'd selected from the bag of weapons they'd found hidden under the bed.

Laura could hear the men now on the other side of the door, she took a deep breath and then steeling herself as she heard someone trying the door handle she took several quick steps before launching herself at the mirror hanging on the wall beside the door. Her timing was perfect, the door flew open and the curtains were ripped down just in time for the men outside to see her hit the mirror and slide to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Three men rushed past her to spread themselves about the room, each concentrating solely on Dieter who backed up a few paces as he stared aghast at Laura's bloody form. She had curled around as much as she could when she jumped so as to protect her face and had managed to take most of the impact on her shoulder which now sported several serious looking gashes. She hadn't been able to protect her head entirely, her forehead had impacted the frame of the mirror and she knew she would have an impressive bruise above her left eye. It was the blow to the head that had her feeling woozy for several moments although she was aware of the fourth man who came through the door, and leaving Dieter to his companions knelt down beside her to see what he could do to help.

She closed her eyes briefly to try to still the pounding in her head but opened them again as she felt a gentle hand under her chin, tilting her face up to examine her injuries. She found herself looking into a pair of beautiful blue eyes surrounded by masses of auburn curls and smiled tentatively at the man. He smiled back and she realised that this would be even easier than she had thought.

Dieter had watched her little game with increasing disbelief, he knew the calculating thoughts going through that pretty little head. "BITCH!" he roared as the anger swept through him and swinging the sword above his head he charged straight for his betrayer. He managed only three paces as he was suddenly stopped dead by two stakes plunging into his chest, one from his right, the other from his left as the holders of the weapons simply positioned them before him and he impaled himself in his blind rage.

As the dust cloud formerly known as Dieter, formerly known as Viktor slowly drifted down to the carpet everyone seemed to freeze for a moment, shocked that everything could be over so quickly. The moment was broken by the sound of Jim's phone ringing and handing his stake to Spike he answered it to hear Simon's anxious voice coming down the line.

"It's alright Simon," he cut into the flow of words, "Dieter is gone and the hostage is a little beat up but she'll be fine." He looked back to where his partner was crouched beside the girl to reassure himself of the truth of his words. Slowly a puzzled frown formed as he listened, the blood in his veins turning to ice as Simon spoke.

Blair felt the change in the atmosphere within the room and looked up to see his companions staring at him with horrified expressions on their faces. He instantly knew that Simon had relayed some bad news that the others had all heard courtesy of enhanced Sentinel and vampire hearing. His first thought was for their friends, had someone been hurt, Joel, Henri, Rafe! Then he felt the girl beside him stiffen, swiftly she snatched up a shard of broken glass from the mirror and before he had time to react he found himself being dragged to his feet, one delicate but surprisingly strong hand entwined in his hair, the other holding the makeshift blade to his throat.

Blue eyes locked with blue as he stared into his partners eyes and he wanted to weep for the terror that he saw there. He tried to put all the love that he felt into his gaze, all the love that he had thought he would have another fifty years or more to express. He could feel the point beginning to dig in to his flesh, feel the muscles in the woman's arm tightening as she tensed ready to strike and he knew he was going to die, the others were too far away, there was nothing they could do.

He kept his eyes locked on Jim's, if he had to die then the other man's face would be the last thing he saw in this life and hopefully the first thing he would see in the next. Then he felt the pain spearing through him as the jagged shard was jammed into his neck and dragged through his flesh, tearing through his throat.

Jim listened in horror to Simon's words, "she's not his hostage, she's his boss!" He knew that the two men stood with him heard them too and the three of them watched as the unthinkable scene unfolded. The paralysis that had gripped him released its hold as he saw the blade rip out his lover's throat and he leapt across the room to catch the younger man as he crumpled to the floor.

Suddenly Spike was there, trying to pull Blair's dying body from his arms, he fought to hold on as Spike pulled harder, "we have to get him to a hospital." The vampire's words sank in and Jim felt an unearthly calm as he pulled Blair tightly to him, "there's no time." Spike released his grip, he knew Jim was right, there was already an immense amount of blood soaking the carpet and Jim's clothes, he could hear Blair's heartbeat slowing, he had seconds left, minutes at most.

Spike hung his head, behind the polarised visor and the faceless black mask tears formed in his eyes and he wept for the pain of a Sentinel and for the loss of a fellow guide.

A/N : Well there you have it, please let me know what you think, I love to read all your reviews.


	23. Chapter 23

Author's Note : Here it is, chapter 23 and not such a long wait as normal, hopefully I'm settling into a routine which seems to be allowing me to write about 1000 to 1500 words each weekend, not much but better than I was managing. Thank you to fierynightangel for my most succinct review yet, also thanks to Lyall of the Rose, mithrilandtj, alfredo joy and HonorLove for your reviews, as ever I treasure them all, however short! I calculate that I have about 4 chapters left to round off this story. Please read and review!

Chapter 23

As the three men stood or knelt around the body of their dying friend, shocked at the abrupt turn events had taken, suddenly a heavy smell of sun-warmed fur filled the room, the harsh sounds of the breathing of four dangerously angry predators assailed their ears. The spirit animals were there and deeply distressed.

Jim watched silently as his panther moved to stand beside him and then leaned in to touch its forehead briefly to Blair's before moving to stand beside Spike. Blair's wolf was next, touching its forehead to Blair's briefly and giving Blair's jaw a gentle swipe with its tongue, carefully avoiding the deep wound and the smeared blood before moving to flank Spike on his other side. Trevor, Spike's white tiger and Lexi, Xander's hyena followed, each mimicking the actions of the panther before moving to sit behind Spike, one at his left shoulder, the other at his right. Now Spike was surrounded by the four spirit animals as they all stared deep into Jim's eyes.

Jim studied each of the animals, making eye contact with each in turn, finally he nodded acceptance of their message. As soon as he did so the animals sprang to their feet and bounding over Blair's prone form they were off out of the door and in hot pursuit of the woman who had done this.

Then Jim was pushing Blair's dying body into Spike's arms, "turn him!" he demanded fiercely.

"Jim no!" Spike was in shock, it was the last thing that he had expected, there was no time to explain why this was a bad idea. Either he could explain and Blair would die and Jim would hate him, or he could comply but Blair would be different, soulless and Jim would still hate him. It was a no-win situation and he looked to Xander for help but Jim hadn't finished speaking.

"Turn him!" he demanded again, "if it's the wrong decision I'll do what's necessary to fix it but there's not time now, turn him!" And with a reluctant nod Spike pushed the helmet from his head and reached for the zipper on the hood.

Seeing this Jim relinquished Blair into Spike's arms and stood to speak to Xander. "Xander, you said that your friend was able to give that other vampire, Angel, back his soul, call her, see if she can get here and do the same for Blair."

"I'll try" was Xander's only reply and he pulled out his phone and quickly selected Willow's number, however instead of hearing the sound of the ringing phone the call went straight to voice-mail. He closed the connection with an unnecessarily harsh jab to his phone, irrationally angered at the inappropriate chirpyness of Willow's greeting in this time and place. Selecting another number he tried the Magic Box but received an engaged tone there as well.

By now Spike had managed to remove his hood and one gauntlet, Xander could see that he was uncomfortably close to the sunlight but there was no time to move Blair further into the room, Spike was keeping his exposed head and hand within the shade of the door which hung crazily from its hinges whilst Blair lay mostly in the bright sunlight. As he watched Spike raised his head from Blair's ruined throat, his lips ringed with red where he had lapped up a token amount of the blood still flowing sluggishly from the wound. Now Spike nipped at his own wrist, opening a vein and pressing it to Blair's lips. Xander watched anxiously, holding his breath as Blair made no effort to swallow the thick liquid that was running into his mouth and spilling down his chin.

Then he heard a gasp from beside him as the tattered remnants of Blair's throat convulsed and the dying man began to drink. Dragging his eyes from the sight he saw Jim staring fixedly at his partner. Stepping forward he interposed himself into Jim's line of sight breaking the connection. As Jim's eyes dropped Xander carefully turned him, moving them both away from the little scene behind the door, over to the window where they looked out across the parking lot. Something glinted in the sunlight on the tarmac outside the room, drawing his Sentinel vision. He focussed in and realised that it was the bloody shard that the woman had used to rip out Blair's throat. At the reminder he started for the door but Jim stopped him, "She won't get far, not with those four on her tail."

Xander nodded acceptance and moved back to stand at Jim's shoulder, to offer all the support that he could.

"Talk to me Xander, distract me" the muttered words were so low Xander barely heard them but he understood, he felt it too, Blair wasn't **his** Guide but he was still **a** Guide, and Xander was a Sentinel and the protective instincts were incredibly strong. Just five feet from where they stood Jim's Guide was dying and instead of trying to save him they were just standing there, letting Spike do whatever he wanted. The conflict must be ripping Jim apart, the primal Sentinel was a feral beast, unconcerned about the subtleties of any situation, what Spike was doing must be registering as an attack so he started to talk, at least that was one thing he had no trouble doing.

"I rang Willow, it went straight to voice-mail, the Magic Box line was tied up too, I'll try again later. Don't worry, I'll get hold of her, but she may not be able to help, there was all kinds of stuff she needed last time, and even if it does work, it's a curse, there's a get out clause but she's been working on that. Willow's really smart, she'll find a way to get around that clause eventually, especially if there are two vampires waiting for her to fix it, she works well under pressure so it'll be an added incentive."

The stream of consciousness stopped as Jim's hand suddenly gripped his shoulder, the fingers digging painfully into the muscle as they tightened. Looking up at Jim Xander realised the man had all his attention focussed on his hearing, but it wasn't Xander's babble that he was listening too. Focussing on his own hearing Xander understood what had caused the reaction and braced himself to endure the painful grip, the only solidarity he could offer. Behind them there was silence, the slow, struggling heartbeat that had been a backdrop to his words had stopped, Blair was dead.

Knowing that nothing he said could penetrate the fog of grief enshrouding his fellow Sentinel's mind Xander kept quiet, turning slightly in the relentless grip to look back towards Spike. As he looked he realised that Spike was in trouble. Blair was still drinking but Spike was looking incredibly pale, even more so than normal, in fact he seemed almost translucent and growing even more so as Xander watched.

Of Course! realisation hit Xander, Spike hadn't had the boost a vampire normally got from draining a victim before making a childe, and he hadn't been feeding properly for a long time, it must take a lot out of him to create a new vampire. Watching he saw Spike's head bow down, sagging as if too heavy to hold up but then the vampire rallied, lifting his head again. Xander looked on in anguish, seeing the pain etched in every line of his lover's face, but still Spike stubbornly held his wrist to Blair's mouth. Wrenching free of Jim's grip Xander crossed the room in two strides, stepping over Blair to crouch in the sunlight beside Spike he pushed back his sleeve he thrust his own wrist into Spike's face, mashing his forearm against Spike's bared fangs.

The fact that Spike didn't object or even hesitate told Xander just how bad the situation was, but Spike simply bit into the exposed flesh and began to drink with long slow pulls. Xander was glad that he was already on his knees, if he hadn't been he would soon have fallen, the feeling was different from the few bites he had experienced from Spike so far. Those had been brief, Spike allowing himself a single swallow before withdrawing, now he pulled steadily and as Xander's blood hit Spike's system Blair's feeding also picked up at the increased supply of blood available.

Now Jim watched, drawn out of the internal pain of his partner's death by Xander pulling out of his grip he looked on in confusion as Xander fed Spike and the vampire acted as a conduit, channelling the life-giving fluid from Xander directly into Blair. As he watched though he saw the young Sentinel begin to droop, he waited, expecting Spike to stop, but Spike didn't stop. He was too deep in the blood hunger, the demon's needs had full reign, for now neither Spike nor demon was in control.

Seeing Spike continuing to feed Jim knew he had to intervene, crouching on Blair's other side he tried to pull Xander's arm from Spike's mouth but the vampire only snarled, fixing him with vicious yellow eyes and sucking harder. A small groan escaped Xander's lips and Jim redoubled his efforts, stepping across to hunker down between the two men and trying to force Xander's arm free, frantic now he tried to force his fingers into the side of Spike's mouth to pry open his jaws. As he worked to pull Spike from Xander his hand slipped and he gashed his finger on one of the wicked canines he'd exposed. As the trickle of blood from his wounded finger hit Spike's tongue the vampire hummed in appreciation, the tip of his tongue working its way around to lick up the small spill.

At that Jim knew what he had to do. Pulling his hands back he cast around him for something he could use. Immediately his gaze fell upon the mirror shards still littering the floor around them. Grabbing one up he stabbed the tip sharply into his forearm and as the blood began to well up he mashed the wound into Spike's face. The result was all he could have asked for as Spike pushed Xander's arm away and latched onto Jim's in its place. Jim wondered if he had done the right thing as he felt Spike begin to draw strongly upon the wound and the room began to spin as a light-headed feeling swept over him.

Then suddenly it was over, Blair was sated, his Sentinel's blood had done the trick and he fell into a death-like sleep from which he would awake to a new life as one of the undead. With the constant drain of Blair's feeding removed Spike quickly regained his senses and pushed Jim's arm away wearily. The horror of what he had done would follow later for now he just slumped where he was and watched his newest childe sleep, praying he'd done the right thing.

A noise from the street pulled Spike back to his senses and he shook off his fears and instead turned his attention to his two Sentinels, his at least until Blair regained consciousness and took Jim back from him.

As he looked at them, both barely conscious, leaning against each other as if that was the only way to remain even remotely upright, they knelt alongside him and he felt the horror at what could have happened begin to creep in. He remembered Jim fighting to break his grip on Xander's arm, and the glorious taste of Sentinel blood as Jim had forced his bleeding arm against Spike's mouth, drowning out the unparalleled perfection that was Xander's blood by sheer volume! It wasn't the same as Xander's blood but Sentinel blood was apparently a cut above the rest of the human population. Perhaps that was a thought he'd better keep to himself, and despite the gravity of the situation he felt his lips twitch in a small smile.

Deciding that they'd hung around far too long as it was Spike carefully slid his arms under Blair's body and heaved himself to his feet with the lifeless body of his childe clasped to his chest. Quickly he carried Blair to the nearest bed and laid him gently down on the covers which he then used to wrap Blair securely before hoisting him once more and carrying him out to the car. It was awkward trying to open the car door and manoeuvre Blair inside, especially in his weakened state but eventually he managed it and closing the door firmly he headed back inside to see to the Sentinels.

As he got back to the room he saw that Jim and Xander were beginning to revive somewhat, they had managed to pull themselves to their feet and were in the small kitchen area where they were each draining large glasses of water. Nodding his approval Spike called out, "when you've finished there get out to the car, I'm just going to grab our stuff and then I'll drive us all back to the loft, Blair's already in the car." Looking ruefully at the large blood stain on the carpet and the broken mirror, he added, "I don't think Giles is going to be getting his deposit back."

Xander followed his eye-line and choked off a short laugh, Jim however was looking at Spike, "Why is Blair in the car, I'll drive him back in the truck!" through the tiredness he sounded angry.

Spike looked up from where he had been pulling out their clothes and jamming them hastily into their bags, "Jim, you can barely stand upright, there's no way you're safe to drive in this state, help Xander out to the car, I'll be with you both as soon as I can, there's no way I want to have to come back to this place again." Even as he spoke Spike knew that the dismissive tone was not the right one to take with the big detective, but just now he was too bone-deep tired to care.

Jim looked like he wanted to argue, but as he lifted his hands from the counter-top and took a step towards Spike he almost fell, his legs barely able to support him. Xander was able to catch him although he wasn't in any better condition, it was touch and go for a while and the two of them nearly ended up back on the floor as Jim tried to fight off Xander's aid but Xander just muttered in his ear, "come on Jim, let's get you out to Blair yeah" and at that Jim's resistance crumpled and together the two weary men staggered past Spike and out to the car, unsteady but under their own steam for which Spike was eternally grateful. He seemed to have gotten away with carrying Blair out and man-handling him into the car, he was damn sure that he'd have someone calling the Bobbies down on his head if he was seen carrying three insensate bodies to the car.

As quickly as he could Spike finished packing up all their belongings and got them stowed in the boot. Lastly he cleared out the fridge, there at the back was their last remaining container of pigs blood. They would need to stock up and soon. Blair was going to be thirsty when he awoke.

The drive back to the loft was accomplished in silence and by the time they arrived Spike was feeling mostly restored to his normal self. Jim and Xander were still weak but they seemed stronger than they had when leaving the motel room and Spike was able to get them and Blair into the loft with a minimum of fuss.

Once inside he stood awkwardly just inside the door, he knew what needed to be done, but he also knew that Jim, although stronger was still too weak to do it and he wasn't going to like the suggestion that Spike should help.

Blair's wound had already healed and that was a good sign for his turning. But the blood that had flowed when the wound was first inflicted had pooled around him as he lay bleeding out on the floor of the motel room, now that blood was sticky, matted into his hair and soaked into his clothes. The layers of motel bedding had mostly protected the car seats, but as Spike held his precious bundle he could feel the blood beginning to seep through, if he put Blair down now the stains would be there forever to remind the loft's occupants of this dreadful day.

Gathering his courage he called out, "Jim, I need to get Blair cleaned up, and you and Xander have phone calls to make."

Jim looked up from his place, sprawled on the sofa when he realised that Spike hadn't laid his burden down. He knew at once what Spike meant and as expected he didn't like the idea. "No, I'll do it!" and he started to struggle back to his feet.

"Jim, I know you want to be the one to do this for him but at the moment you're still too weak, he's not going to know anything about it, please let me help you both."

"At least let me help," Jim pleaded.

"Jim, man, that bathroom is way too small for the three of you, let Spike do this, he's Blair's sire now, that's a special bond, like father and son but moreso, please?" Xander wanted to explain the sire bond, at least as much about it as he knew but he just didn't have the words, later when all this wasn't so raw they would all have to have a long conversation about it but for now he hoped Jim could understand what he was trying to say.

And it seemed he did, for a moment longer Jim stood with bowed head, one hand across his eyes, but then he pulled himself together, "alright, go, do what you need to do, I need to call Simon and tell him what's happened."

"Thank you Jim." Spike locked eyes with the older man before ending the silent interchange with a decisive nod. "Oh and Jim, whilst you've got the phone handy order some food for yourself and Xander, you both have a lot of blood to replace."

A little over an hour later, Jim and Xander were replete with pizza. Blair, clean and dressed in a pair of comfortable flannel pyjamas was laid out on one of the sofas, his head resting in Jim's lap as the big man gently carded the fingers of one hand through his lover's drying hair. Opposite them Xander sprawled on the other sofa, eyes drifting closed as his body worked on replenishing the blood Spike had taken.

That was when Spike remembered the call Xander needed to make "Did you get hold of Willow" he asked from his position on the floor, leaning against the sofa where Xander sat, Xander's knee intermittently bumping companionably against his shoulder. All thoughts of sleep fled as Xander sprang to his feet groping for his phone as he began to pace. Spike just smirked and catching Jim's eye he remarked, "I'll take that as a no shall I?"

A faint smile twitched at the edge of the Detectives lips in response, but he also sat more upright, hand stilled in amongst Blair's riotous curls as he concentrated on listening to Xander's side of the conversation.

This time Xander's call had been answered although the young man hadn't actually been able to get a word in yet. "Willow! Willow!" after several minutes Xander apparently got tired of listening to the tirade being poured into his ear and was finally able to break into the flow of mixed scoldings and promises of retribution for leaving them hanging for so long. "Willow, I'm sorry, things have been a bit busy around here." Xander paused again for Willow to talk but both Jim and Spike were trying not to listen in, trying to give Xander some privacy for which he was immensely grateful.

"Yes Willow it's me, Yes I'm fine, Yes Spike is fine, No we're not on our way home, in fact..." he puased, "look, let me put you on speaker, OK?" He listened for a few moments more before pressing the button and laying the phone down on the coffee table and resuming his seat.

"OK, I'm putting this end on speaker too, there's me, Tara, Buffy and Dawn here." Willow's voice floated up from the handset and Xander was a little surprised by the surge of homesickness within him at knowing his girls were all there at the other end of the line.

"Hi girls," he greeted them and then "what no G-man?" he was a little surprised that the watcher wasn't there, when Willow had said that she was at the Magic Box he'd been hoping that Giles would be around to keep the red-head calm, at least Tara was there, she was always a steadying influence on her impetuous girlfriend.

"No," Willow replied, "he's off talking to a source about a prophecy that's come to light but that's not important right now. What's been going on up there, why haven't you called before?"

Xander heard noises of agreement from the other girls clustered around the phone at the other end. He could picture them all in his head, sat around the circular table in the middle of the shop, two blondes, two red-heads all leaning in to listen intently to the tinny voices coming from the handset placed between them. "I'm sorry, I'll explain it all to you later, for now I need to ask you a favour." He paused before plowing ahead, "Willow, do you still have all the things you needed to curse Angel's soul back in place?"

Perhaps the sudden furore that broke out at the other end of the line shouldn't have surprised Xander knowing the girls as long as he had but it did. The sound of chairs being pushed back, hurried footsteps and raised voices came down the line and it was clear that they had been forgotten for the moment.

Somewhat over a thousand miles to the south Buffy had sprung to her feet so suddenly at Xander's words that she had knocked her chair over backwards. Ignoring everything she hurried to the enormous gym bag that was never far from her and started pulling out stakes, shoving them into her boots, her waistband, anywhere there was space before moving on to stuffing vials of holy water into her pockets and anywhere too small to hold a stake. Finally she drew a heavy long-sword from the bag before heading back to the table, oblivious of Willow's and Dawn's demands to know what she was doing. "Xander, where is Angel now?" she demanded coldly.

"What's going on up there?" Xander demanded in return, "Why would I know where Angel is, presumably he's still in L.A."

"If Angel's lost his soul then I need to go to L.A. I was too sentimental to do what needed to be done before, I won't make the same mistake again!"

"WAIT, What, hang on a moment there, who said Angel had lost his soul..."

"You did!" Buffy interrupted, a confused frown breaking through the determination on her face.

"I asked if Willow still had all the stuff she needed for the curse, so far as I know dead-boy's still all souled up and as broody as ever." At the words the long-sword fell forgotten to the floor and Buffy slumped into the nearest chair, head in hands as the fight flowed out of her.

Dawn moved to crouch next to her sister, one arm curling protectively round the older girl's shoulders, feeling the tremors that ran through her slight frame.

There was a short silence, finally broken by a tentative question from Xander, "Buffy, are you alright?" he asked.

Buffy didn't move and Dawn gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze as she murmured soothing nonsense in her sisters ear.

"She'll be fine," Willow answered softly but then her tone became all business as she returned to the business at hand, "What's going on up there? Why do you need to know if I have what I'd need to curse a vampire with a soul?"

"Look, something's happened, Blair was attacked..."

Xander got no further as Willow interrupted again. "Oh my God! Are you hurt, what happened, I knew we shouldn't have let you go all that way on your own."

Tara reached out a hand to try to calm her girlfriend before she started to hyperventilate and as always her mere presence was enough to steady Willow's wild impulsiveness. But before Xander could resume someone else interrupted. Jim was getting annoyed at all the interruptions and wild conjecture coming from Sunnydale, to hear Willow talking to Xander as if he were a small child instead of a full grown man who Jim was coming to know as a good friend, an intelligent planner and a brave fighter was the last straw.

"Listen, Willow is it? Xander would be able to tell you what's going on much quicker if you would all just stop with the interruptions and the wild conjectures so he can get on with it!"

Xander had never before understood how a silence could be described as deafening. Now in the sound vacuum that followed Jim's short tirade he began to understand. He knew that Jim had been right and it warmed his heart to hear himself defended so vehemently, although he wished he didn't need defending against his oldest friend. He was about to open his mouth to apologise and try to soothe Willow's wounded feelings when he was bought up short by a new, slightly timid, faltering voice from Sunnydale.

"We're sorry Xander, some people here are too used to thinking of you as the mere human. That's not fair and has never really been true, we all need to accept that and move on. What has happened and how can we help?"

It was probably the longest speech Xander had ever heard from Tara and he was glad to see that the steel that he had long suspected lay beneath that mild-mannered exterior was finally beginning to show through. He knew Willow, loved her even, but he worried that eventually, if Tara didn't begin to stand up for herself then Willow would walk rough-shod over her without even realising what she was doing.

"Thank you Tara." he hoped that his genuine gratitude made itself felt through the many long miles between them. "I'm fine and so is Spike, Blair was attacked at a crime scene, I'll give you the details later but basically this woman was working with a vampire to kill and drain humans so they could sell the blood to vampires who thought the blood came from an ethical source." Xander stopped at the sound of Willow's voice, abruptly cut-off at the other end of the line.

"Please carry-on Xander," Tara's encouragement was as calm as ever and only Willow saw the death glare directed her way as she attempted to interrupt once more.

"Erm, yes, well, the night clerk at our motel was killed last night whilst we were at the Loft with Jim and Blair. Simon, Jim's boss, thought it was Spike at first, once we had convinced him Spike was innocent we headed to the motel to check it out. We were ambushed and Blair was attacked, she ripped out his throat with a shard of glass, there was no way to get him to the Hospital in time."

"Blair's dead!" This time Tara couldn't contain Willow's outburst, she was in too much shock herself. They had carried on researching Sentinels after Xander and Spike had set off on their road trip and a lot of that research had centred around the young anthropologist so that by now she almost felt like she knew him.

"No, well kind of, the spirit animals turned up after the attack and basically ordered Jim to get Spike to turn him, now we need Willow to get here pronto and work the mojo to put back his soul!" Xander finished in a rush and then held his breath awaiting the explosion from the other end of the line.

"The spirit animals wanted Blair turned?" Willow asked, her voice sounding strangely strangled in her throat.

"Yeah, man you should have seen it, as soon as they knew Jim had got the message they took off after the bitch who attacked Blair, they were really steamed, I wouldn't want to be her when they catch up with her." Xander sounded deeply satisfied at the thought of the vengeance the animals would wreak upon Lauren Van Den Haus when they caught up to her.

"So they were angry about what had happened to Blair?" Willow asked.

At this point Spike took over seeing that Xander was thrown by the unexpected trend of Willow's questions. "Actually no, they were already angry when they arrived, when they saw what had happened to Blair they seemed more distressed than anything, I don't know much about how this spirit animal thing but I'm not sure that they even knew about the attack until they got there."

"Wow, that's... odd. And they're not back yet?" The strange strangled tone was back in Willow's tone and Spike was beginning to wonder just what had been going on back in dear old Sunnydale.

"No, but I'm sure they'll turn up soon. So, have you got what you need, can you restore Blair's soul?"

"Yes, I can do it, but the flights, a hotel, I don't know when Giles will be back and I don't have nearly enough savings to cover it..." Willow trailed off to be replaced once more by Tara who seemed to have forgotten about the listeners in Cascade.

"It's OK, we'll work it out honey, let's get you home and get everything packed, I've still got some of my college fund left, that should be enough to get you to Cascade at least."

"Don't worry about the flights, just get to the airport, the tickets will be waiting for you. Xander will call you back shortly with the details." Jim's no nonsense voice took over, the longer they messed around worrying about inconsequential details the greater the risk of Blair waking up before his soul was back in placed and the Sentinel didn't even want to think about that possibility. "Tara?"

"Yes?" the blonde girl responded to the interrogatory note in Jim's voice as he spoke her name.

"Pack for two, I think we could use both of you here." There was a warmth in Jim's tone that would have pleased Tara if she wasn't so distracted by her girlfriend. She didn't know what exactly was going on, but if ever Willow had looked guilty of something it was now.

"Thank you Detective Ellison, it'll take us about an hour to get packed and get the airport."

"No, thank you Tara, and please call me Jim. Xander and Spike will collect you and Willow from the airport at this end, we'll see you soon."

Tara waited only long enough to hear the click of the closed connection before rounding on her soulmate. "Willow Rosenberg, you tell me what you've done and you tell me right now!"

A/N : well there it is, and the story is now over 100,000 words which I find hard to believe but there you go. Please review, I've given you 100,000 words, is 5 or 10 words in reply so much to ask.


	24. Chapter 24

Authors Note: Sorry this has taken so long, I found it very difficult to get started on this chapter, probably because it focuses on different characters. Still it needed to be written and here it is.

Thanks to HonorLove, teh farmer, Rylia, TobyDR, fierynightangel and Rin Hitokiri for your reviews. Yes farmer, it's still sunny out when Spike carries Blair to the car but he's all wrapped up in his biker leathers and other stuff to protect him from the sun, apologies if I didn't make that clear.

Once I managed to get started on this chapter I got a bit carried away, so here's 10,000+ words for your delight and delectation. Enjoy!

Chapter 24

"Willow Rosenberg, you tell me what you've done and you tell me right now!" Tara planted her hands on her hips and glared at the petite red-head who stood there with a look commonly compared to a deer in the headlights.

"Willow!" she repeated in a tone that clearly said that she would broke no nonsense.

It wasn't often that anyone saw the timid, blonde witch stand up to her more exuberant partner, this time however it was quite clear that Tara would not be denied. The tension that crackled between the two witches was enough to draw Buffy some way out of the deep funk she had fallen into when she thought Angel had lost his soul once more. She and Dawn watched the stand-off with some fascination.

Just as it seemed that Willow must break the cheerful sound of a bell shattered the silence as a young couple walked into the store. They immediately picked up on the atmosphere and swiftly backed out the door again but it was too late, the moment was gone. Willow had recovered some of her composure and whisked herself over to the shelves of herbs where she bustled about collecting the things she would need for the spell to restore Blair's soul. As she worked she called over her shoulder, clearly avoiding looking at Tara, "No time now, we need to get to the airport."

"Willow!" Tara tried to regain control but the attempt was half-hearted at best and Willow quickly steam-rollered over her.

"Sweetie, could you get the Orb of Thesulah" for me please, Giles keeps it up in the restricted section and you know he doesn't like me going up there." Willow artfully distracted her girlfriend, knowing full well that Tara was just as keen to keep her away from the strong magics that Giles stored up on the little balcony floor at the rear of the store as he himself was, maybe more-so! At Tara's hesitation she threw in, "I'll tell you everything once we're on the plane, I promise."

Whilst the girls hurriedly gathered the equipment and ingredients that they needed, some thousand miles north of Sunnydale Xander threw himself back down onto the couch, his legs whacking Spike sharply as he sat. "Ow" Spike yelped, more from reflex than any actual pain.

Xander was instantly contrite and leaned forward to lay a tender hand on the abused shoulder as he apologised.

Spike, of course, shook off the proffered apology and climbing lithely to his feet he settled in to snuggle up to Xander. Across from them Jim had pulled out his own phone and was already speaking to someone at the airport. In no time at all he had the flights arranged, it was costly at such short notice but Jim earned a reasonable wage and his tastes weren't expensive so he had plenty in his savings to cover it.

Xander called back to Sunnydale, this time it was Dawn who answered the phone. Willow was busy packing a small sample case with all the herbs and other ingredients they would need for the spell and Tara was still up in the restricted section so Dawn was the closest.

"Dawn, how's Buffy?" Xander asked the question awkwardly, he'd been so wrapped up in his concern for Blair that he'd never even considered the way his words might be taken by the girls.

"Xander, she'll be fine, don't worry." Dawn reassured him gently.

"I'm so sorry, I never even thought..." Xander clenched his free hand in his hair distractedly as he spoke.

"Don't worry," Dawn repeated, "I know you didn't mean to upset anyone it's just..." she paused for a moment, uncertain how much to say, "Buffy's been on edge since you guys left, we all have, it's so strange not having you here."

"I'm sorry, we'll be home soon. Do you have a pen and paper, I've got the flight details for Willow and Tara." Xander recited the details as Dawn dutifully copied them down and then repeated them back to him.

"Willow and Tara are busy getting the stuff together, they'll be heading home to pack as soon as they're done here. They'll be with you in a few hours, and Xander..." Dawn went silent, uncharacteristically nervous, unsure how her next words would be received, "say hi to Spike for me."

"Of course Dawnie, and thanks," then the connection clicked closed and Dawn was left holding the silent handset, more confused than ever. Dawn was missing Spike, he'd been a good friend to her and she didn't really have the same memories of him in the early years that the others had. The monks had planted those memories of course, but it was strange, over time, as she built up real memories of her own the ones planted by the monks were fading so that now they seemed more like images from a barely remembered film, watched in childhood and mostly forgotten. She'd needed to ask after Spike but hadn't really expected a civil answer. Still, Spike had been the one to support Xander when his senses went haywire and from Xander's casual reply it almost seemed like... But no, it couldn't be, she wondered if anyone had checked the temperature in hell lately. Could Spike and Xander actually be... getting along! Hanging up the phone she was left wondering just when she would see Xander or Spike again, and what was the secret that Willow seemed determined to keep from Tara for as long as possible.

Seeing Tara coming down the short flight of stairs carrying a small travelling case which she assumed contained the Orb of Thesulah Dawn hurried over. "Tara, that was Xander, your flight leaves in just under three hours, you two need to get a move on." and with that she was hustling the two witches out of the door, assuring them repeatedly that Buffy would be fine, that she could handle the shop for a few hours until closing time, that they would be fine until Giles returned on the following day. Through it all Buffy just sat at the table and watched them, no longer sunk in the depression that had taken hold of her at Xander's words but still silent, withdrawn.

It was now two hours since Spike had turned Blair.

Willow and Tara covered the distance to Buffy's house at a ground-eating pace developed over years of night-time patrols and having too many places to be and not enough time to travel between them. It got them there fast but didn't leave either of them with spare breath for talking.

Once they arrived at the house they split up, Tara went upstairs to their room to pack clothes for them both for several days. Willow meanwhile packed up her pestle and mortar and her favourite earthenware bowls for the spell, all that they needed went into a second case, they would keep everything in their hand luggage, luckily for them none of the spell ingredients came in a liquid form. They would just have to buy shampoo, toothpaste and all that kind of thing once they got to Cascade.

With everything packed the two girls met up again at the front door. It was then that the awful truth dawned upon them. They had no way to get to the airport, neither of them drove and even if they did they had no access to a car. They were searching through their purses, hoping they might have enough for cab fare when a knock fell on the door. They exchanged frightened glances, strangers at the door rarely boded well in Sunnydale. Finally after a second knock sounded Willow moved cautiously to peer through the peep hole in the door. Stepping back she shot a confused glance at Tara before opening the door to reveal a Sunnydale PD officer on the front step.

"Hi officer, what can we do for you?" she asked politely, trying not to sound too flustered.

"Are you ladies Ms Rosenberg and Ms McClay?" the officer asked, his eyes flicking between the two girls and the notepad in his hand.

"That's us, what's this about?" Willow asked the question calmly but Tara could see how her knuckles blanched white as her hand clenched into an involuntary fist.

"I'm Sergeant Dennison, we had a call from a colleague in Cascade, apparently you two ladies are urgently required in Washington, we're your ride to the airport." The officer stepped aside and with an almost mocking half bow he gestured towards his patrol car, "your chariot awaits."

The two girls stared at the police officer on their doorstep, this was far too convenient, nothing was ever that easy, especially not here on the hellmouth. Just as they were poised on the brink of making a run for it Tara's mobile phone rang. Without taking her eyes off the man in the doorway she stabbed the answer button and put the handset to her ear. Her eyes widened briefly as she listened, then she nodded sharply once and with a muttered "thank you." she closed the connection.

"That was Xander, Jim arranged this for us, it's alright Willow."

At her words the static electric charge that had started to build up in the air around them dissipated and a bright smile broke over Willow's face, "right, let's go then."

Peter Dennison smiled to himself with a rueful shake of his head at the fickleness of young women these days. His daughter was just the same, ready for the start of World War 3 one moment, all sweetness and light the next.

As soon as they were settled in the back sear of the police cruiser Tara turned to Willow intending to continue the interrupted conversation from the Magic Box, but Willow was expecting just that, "not here!" she hissed sharply, jerking her head to indicate the two police officers in the front of the car. After that she started up a stream on inconsequential chatter that lasted all the way to airport leaving Tara frustrated but in awe of her girlfriend's powers of waffle. Willow had scarcely drawn breath during the entire drive and yet had managed to say absolutely nothing of any significance what-so-ever.

At Sunnydale airport the police cruiser drew up right outside the main terminal doors and the younger officer hurried inside to check the details of their flights whilst Peter helped the girls out of the car. He offered to grab them a trolley but they only had one case each and weren't checking either of them so they politely declined. As he escorted them into the terminal building they caught the curious stares of some of the other passengers who wondered idly what these two girls had done that they were escorted to the airport in the back of a police car.

It was just another quiet day in Sunnydale and so Dennison and his partner saw no problem taking the time to escort the two young ladies through check-in and on to Security. It was strange Dennison thought, just how high the turnover in the Police Department was in a town where nothing ever seemed to happen, Oh well, he guessed some guys just got bored of the peace and moved on to somewhere with a little more action. Then, as always happened when any of the police officers, or any of the emergency services started to think about such things, a fog seemed to roll over his mind, just for a moment. He shook his head to clear it and dragged his thoughts back to the business at hand, all consideration of the oddness of Sunnydale completely forgotten, as always.

The police escort had saved them loads of time so that as they waved goodbye to the police officers and walked through the security checkpoint into the departure lounge they still had over an hour before their flight.

It was now four hours since Blair had been turned.

They briefly considered doing a little shopping for toiletries and such but decided against it, after all they were changing planes in San Francisco and weren't sure if they'd need to go through the whole security process again. On top of that they hoped that, if they were able to save Blair, he might be able to point them to some brands that wouldn't mess with Xander's new, enhanced senses.

Tara tried to manoeuvre Willow into a quiet corner to discuss the red-head's odd reaction at the end of Xander's call but Willow was firmly back in control and kept them in the busier areas of the bustling airport until their flight was called.

There was no opportunity to speak privately as they waited at the gate and Tara resigned herself to having to wait until they boarded, however once on board Willow would be a captive audience and Tara was determined to get the story out of her.

The plane was a small one, and wasn't completely full so that Willow and Tara had a row of three seats to themselves. Willow ushered Tara into the window seat chattering excitedly about the flight and regretting that they wouldn't be in San Francisco long enough to see anything of the city. As they took off she leaned over excitedly pointing out all the sights of Sunnydale as they wheeled over the town before heading north to San Francisco.

Finally there was nothing more to see, the ground below too far away to make out any details and Tara turned away from the window to start the delayed conversation with Willow but it seemed the red-head had outfoxed her once again. Willow had reclined her seat whilst Tara was occupied with the view and was now fast asleep beside her.

Hemmed into her seat by her sleeping girlfriend Tara quickly became bored. She had nothing to do except look out of the window or read the in-flight magazine and neither really appealed to her. Knowing that this was going to be a long day she decided to follow Willow's example and settling back she quickly dropped off into a light doze herself.

Tara didn't sleep for long, about half an hour after her eyes had slipped closed they slowly opened again to be greeted by the sight of Willow, wide awake and poring over a sheaf of computer printouts. Adjusting her seat back to the vertical Tara leaned in to see what her girlfriend was working on. As soon as she scanned the page in Willow's hand all thoughts of the conversation that they needed to have were pushed from her mind. This was the spell that Willow had performed years ago to restore Angel's soul. Reading further down the page Tara saw Willow's research on changing the curse that was included as an integral part of the spell itself.

Obviously Tara had heard about the curse, the spell and the events surrounding it's use. It was a fundamental part of the Scoobies history and Tara had often wanted to ask more details of the spell but Willow had always brushed off her queries and Tara had learned to respect the other's need for privacy on that issue.

It was now six hours since Blair was turned.

At Tara's movement Willow turned briefly, leaning in to place a chaste kiss on the blonde's cheek before turning back to her work casting back at her over her shoulder, "Hi Sweetie, look at this, I've been going over the incantation and I think if we..."

Willow's enthusiasm was as infectious as ever and Tara was swiftly pulled into a complex discussion of the incantation and the herbal magics used to restore a soul.

Engrossed in the technical complexities of trying to tighten up the curse, effectively making sure that the soul was permanently bound in place, neither girl noticed the passenger seated in the row behind them.

Walter Johnson worked for one of the largest insurance companies in the United States. His job had him flying a lot, criss-crossing the country on a regular basis. On the morning of September 11th 2001 he had been passing through Boston's Logan airport. It frightened him to think that it could so easily have been his flight that had been hijacked on that fateful day. He had thought through that morning many times whilst trying to sleep in bland hotel rooms in one city or another. So much so that he'd convinced himself that if he'd only paid a little more attention, been a little more observant he could have spotted what was going on and foiled the entire plot. Always a god-fearing and highly conventional man, the events of that day had driven him on to almost fanatical lengths to ensure that if he found himself in the right place at the right time once again he would not be found wanting.

When he had seen the two girls being decanted from the back of the police cruiser outside the airport his attention had been caught. Seeing those same two girls being escorted through the terminal building and right up to the security gates by two police officers had only heightened his interest. Now he found himself seated behind them on the plane and he knew his time for glory had come at last. He'd heard the mention of the onward flight from San Francisco so he knew he had some time. In fact he was almost disappointed, if they had no intention of causing mayhem on this flight then he had no reason to enact one of his many plans to foil their evil plot.

When he saw the red-head lean in and kiss the other girl on the cheek all his worst fears were confirmed. Not just terrorists, but heathens too. He shook his head, his brain feeling dirty just at thinking of it. Determined to gather as much intelligence as he could Walter sat forward in his seat, appearing to be looking out of the window whilst really straining to hear everything he could from the two in front of him. He couldn't make out much of what they were saying over the noise of the engines and the general chatter within the aircraft cabin, still he made notes of what he could ready to pass on to the first TSA agent he saw on landing.

Oblivious to the attention they were receiving Willow and Tara spent the rest of the flight discussing the details of the spell. Tara trying to rein in Willow's more outlandish ideas as well as trying to keep her own enthusiasm in check. She knew how her girlfriend sometimes got a little carried away, she didn't want the spell that was supposed to secure Blair's soul to result in it's destruction instead! At one point the discussion grew quite heated, although low voiced, until at last Willow stood up and retrieved the small sample case from the overhead locker and they examined the dried herbs that they had brought with them. At last, just as they started to descend into San Francisco airport they were both satisfied. "So if we substitute powdered for chopped and amend the incantation like this," she tapped the page to indicate their notes, trying to be at least a little discreet, "then we can prevent the removal of their souls!" Willow summed up their work in triumph.

"Permanently!" Tara agreed with a gleeful grin offering up a hand for a high five.

Walter Johnson looked on in horror. He hadn't been able to hear everything that the girls said, and what he had heard appeared to be in some kind of code but that last had been crystal clear, 'removal of their souls' and 'permanently'. That was how they referred to the number of people aboard an aircraft wasn't it, '253 souls on board'? And these girls wanted to remove those souls, permanently!

As he saw the runway unfurling beneath the wheels of the plane he hurriedly gathered all of his belongings together and the instance they touched down he was out of his seat and making his way to the exit at the front of the plane where the air stewardesses where gathering. As he approached an older woman detached herself from the crowd by the door and addressed him, "please sir, you'll have to return to your seat until the seatbelt sign is extinguished by the captain."

Holding a hand to his mouth Walter just muttered "feeling sick, need air" and pushed past the woman on his way towards the door. The extreme pallor of his skin, induced by the horror of what he had heard the girls plotting may have added to the believability of his claim and the stewardess took pity on the poor man and let him wait by the door.

It took a good ten minutes to get the passenger unloading tunnel attached to the side of the plane and Walter waited on tenterhooks every moment. As he waited he cast furtive glances back down the cabin to see if his abrupt departure had alerted the terrorists that he was on to them. But no, they seemed perfectly happy to sit quietly chatting whilst waiting for the seat belt light to go out. The thought that such evil could exist, that two girls, so innocent looking, even attractive he acknowledged bitterly could harbour such vicious plans and take such delight in death and destruction whirled through his brain and he truly began to feel sick. As the thoughts repeated over and over in his head he grew ever paler until one of the stewardesses gently urged him down into the fold-out seat beside the door and pressed a glass of water into his hand. This had been a relatively good flight and she certainly didn't want to have to end it by cleaning vomit from the carpet when she could be off to the hotel for a drink or two by the pool and to enjoy the glorious weather.

As soon as the door was finally hooked up and opened Walter was up out of his seat and hurrying off in search of someone to report his discoveries to. As soon as he passed out of the tunnel into the terminal he saw them, two security men, guns and walkie-talkies holstered on their belts and he made a bee-line straight for them. The two men watched him approach and stood a little taller, this was normally a boring duty as the passengers disembarked and hurried past them, eyes down, as if afraid to draw their attention. It this guy wanted to talk to them that might at least liven things up around here.

"Officers, you need to stop them, there are two girls on that flight, they're catching a connecting flight and they're planning to blow it up!" He stopped, slightly breathless from his rush to reach someone in authority and from the spate of words as he passed on his information.

"Hold up there sir, how do you know this?" Chris Tomlinson had been working airport security for longer than he cared to remember. In the first few years after 9/11 he'd received lots of reports of this type from over anxious passengers, but more recently they'd dropped off a lot. Every report had to be investigated of course, but he was loath to hold up travellers from their onward flight without any more information.

"They were in the seats in front of me, two girls a blonde and a red-head. They had a load of notes that they were going over and they were talking in some kind of code about curses and incantations and destruction. They had a case too, it was full of powders in glass jars, they were talking about removing all their souls, that's what they call them isn't it, the pilots, when reporting the number of passengers on board, they call them souls." As he spoke Walter kept looking over his shoulder to the mouth of the tunnel, other passengers were beginning to trickle through and he didn't want those girls getting away before he was able to convince these security men of what he had heard.

"Now are you sure about this sir, after all, if they managed to smuggle bomb making equipment onto one plane why not blow that one up, why risk that just to get off and switch to another plane and go through all the security checkpoints again?" In Chris' experience, those passengers who did make a report these days often retracted when asked if they were sure, after all what seemed perfectly reasonable when sitting anxiously in the cabin of an aircraft several miles up in the air suddenly became rather silly when considered in the cold light of day on terra firma.

"Of course I'm sure" Walter insisted, this was his day of glory and there was no way these job's worths were going to take it from him just because they were too lazy to perform their duties.

If a passenger insisted on making a report then the security officers had no choice but to investigate it, and it was clear this man was dead-set on it. "Very well sir, can you point out the two suspects when you see them disembark," and with that Chris nodded to his partner who turned aside to make a quiet call on his walkie-talkie requesting another a team join them to interrogate the suspects whilst he and Chris had a conversation with the gentleman making the allegations.

Willow and Tara were in no hurry to leave the plane, they had sufficient time for their transfer to the connecting flight and had no desire to be bumped and pushed around, waiting in the aisles to get off the aircraft just a few minutes quicker. They waited until the cabin was practically empty before gathering their belongings and making their leisurely way to the door. Remembering to thank the stewardesses for a pleasant flight they stepped out into the draughty tunnel and strolled along to the terminal. As they stepped into the open they paused a moment to get their bearings, that was when they saw the strange little man from the seats behind them, the one who had rushed to get off the plane as soon as it landed. Odd that he was still hanging around in the gate area when he had been so desperate to be the first person off.

It was now almost eight hours since Blair had been turned.

As soon as Walter saw them he turned to the security man at his side, "that's them" he said quickly. Tom had only been working with Chris for six months, twenty years old and still wet behind the ears according to his more world-weary partner, his eyes lit up at the two young women their informer had pointed out. Nudging Chris who was talking to the reinforcements who had just arrived he nodded his head towards the two suspects. Seeing the girls and taking in the broad grin on Tom's face he realised just how young his partner was and knew exactly where his thoughts were taking him. Time to show him just how unromantic the life of a TSA agent really is he thought as he changed his original plans and turned to Walter. "Sir, if you could go with these gentlemen please they will be happy to take down all the particulars of your report."

With a hand at the small of Tom's back he propelled the younger man towards the suspects, "come on then Romeo," he laughed lightly.

"Excuse me," he addressed the two young ladies politely, they were going to be pissed off enough when this was done with if they were innocent, as the odds dictated they probably were, no point antagonising them any more than absolutely necessary. "I'm going to have to ask you both to accompany me please."

Two pairs of startled eyes met his, one pair green, the other blue, both suddenly anxious. "What's the matter officer?" the red-head asked with an attempt at coolness that only served to emphasise her sudden nervousness.

"Another passenger has expressed some concerns that we are required to investigate. If you'll just come with us I'm sure we can get everything cleared up and have you on your way in no time at all." As he spoke Chris adroitly manoeuvred the two girls away from the other disembarking passengers and towards the behind the scenes area used for private discussions with those suspected of a wide variety of wrong-doing.

Whilst he thought it highly unlikely that these two young women would be involved in a plot to take down an aircraft their informer had mentioned a case full of powders. Drug smuggling was far more common than bomb plots and the alarm he had seen in both girls eyes seemed more than was usual if reports were completely unfounded. Maybe they'd decided to try the 'hide in plain sight' approach to smuggling, every so often some clever type thought they'd come up with something 'new' only to slip up when they discovered it had all been tried a million times before.

Politely ushering the two into an interview room Chris grabbed Tom's elbow to pull him back as the young man made to follow them. "We'll be with you in just a moment, please take a seat," and he gently closed the door between them. "Look Tom, I think it's highly unlikely these two are carrying a bomb, drugs on the other hand..." and he quirked an eyebrow in a significant gesture that had the smile falling from Tom's lips.

Certain that Tom understood his message Chris opened the door once more and preceded his partner into the room where he took up a position opposite the suspects. "Put your cases on the table please and open them up." he requested, still polite but clearly refusal was not an option.

"I'm sorry officer but I don't understand what's going on here, we have a connecting flight to catch." Whilst Willow tried to convince the Security men that they'd made a mistake, Tara, pragmatic as ever simply picked up the first case and laid it on the table before opening it up. The case was the one containing all their clothes for the trip, once she had it open she started removing the contents one item at a time, unfolding each garment and then neatly refolding them and piling them up on the table. Eventually the case was empty and Tara stood back to allow the officers access to the clothes and the empty case.

Chris stepped in to examine the case carefully, at this point he didn't know what to think. The red-head was obviously still on edge but the blonde seemed to have recovered from her initial alarm and was much calmer now. Carefully he felt his way around the lining of the case, opening any zippers and pockets that he found to verify that there was nothing hidden away. Finally he stepped back, convinced that this case at least held no secrets.

At a gesture from him the young blonde briskly repacked the case and zipped it up. Moving that case back to the floor she stepped around her friend to grab the other case and lift that too up onto the tabletop. As she unzipped this one Chris saw that the contents looked far more interesting. Gently Tara started lifting things out of the case, the hard, leather case containing the Orb of Thesulah was lifted clear and opened to display the perfect crystal sphere nestled on a bed of rich black velvet. Next came the sample case which was placed beside it and the lid opened, Tara left the jars capped but did take them all out and array them carefully in front of the case. Finally she lifted out the heavy stone pestle and mortar and the set of well used earthenware bowls that Willow had lovingly wrapped in quantities of newspaper to ensure nothing was damaged in transit.

Chris recognised the sinking feeling in his gut, he didn't know what kind of dog and pony show these girls were running, but he was beginning to fear that as strange as their luggage may be he wouldn't find anything illegal in there. Still, they'd come this far and he had no choice but to carry it through to the bitter end. Just as carefully as before he checked over the case looking for anything hidden from view.

Once he was sure that the case was not hiding anything he moved on to the contents, first flicking through the sheaf of computer print outs, they seemed to be notes on chemical formulas or cooking recipes, he really wasn't sure, one thing he was sure of, this wasn't related to any kind of explosive or drugs that he was familiar with. He moved on to the two smaller carrying cases that had been held within the larger case. Lifting the crystal ball clear of its packaging he handed it to Tom to hold. He then gently examined the velvet lining of the box before turning to Tom to restore the bauble to its place. It was only when it was replaced and the two girls each took a deep breath that he realised neither had dared to breathe whilst the ball was out of its place.

It was clear that the glass orb held great importance to these two, but he could see no way that it could be involved in either drug running or bomb making so it was of no significance to him. Finally he started examining the jars that had come out of the second travelling case. Some of these he recognised as ordinary cooking herbs, others though he had never seen before and so he packed all the jars away and poking his head out of the door he handed off the case to be taken to their small, on-site lab for further analysis.

Once that was done he indicated that they could repack the second case which the blonde did quickly and efficiently, leaving a space sufficient to hold the missing travelling case and moving the open case carefully to the floor.

Now Chris sat down and the girls sat opposite him, watching him warily as if uncertain of what his next move would be. "Once we get the analysis of the contents of those jars back, if there is nothing untoward in them then you will be able to get on your way." He tried to reassure the two girls before him. "Can you tell me your names?" he asked firmly.

They exchanged a quick glance before the red-head spoke up, "I'm Willow Rosenberg, this is Tara McClay." He got the feeling that whilst the blonde, Tara was the more practical of the two, Willow was usually the spokesperson of the team.

"You've been brought in here because one of the passengers on your flight expressed some concerns about things he heard you saying and things he saw. This is your chance to explain to me the contents of your cases and those jars that I've just sent away for analysis." He laid it out for them as straight-forwardly as possible. He was becoming more and more certain that they wouldn't find anything amiss but once the investigation had been begun he had no choice but to follow it through to its conclusion.

The two were looking a little nervous again now, but it was nothing more than he saw on a regular basis when interviewing passengers about their luggage and travel plans. Once again it was the red-head, Willow who spoke up although it did not go unnoticed when Tara took hold of the other girls fingers and gave them a brief squeeze of encouragement.

"We're wiccans, we work in a small magic shop in Sunnydale and we are travelling to Cascade as we've been called in by one of the Detectives in the Major Crimes division to consult on a case. This is our equipment, and the jars you've taken away contain dried herbs that we use in our ceremonies and rituals." Chris listened and took notes as Willow laid out all the details that he could want, the details of the magic shop they worked for, the owners name and mobile number, the name of the Detective they were travelling to Cascade to meet. The sinking feeling in his gut turned into a heavy ball of lead, wiccans, that explained a lot. He hated all that hippy shit, and the last thing he needed now was for these two to start yelling religious discrimination, could this day get any worse!

At the thought there was a gentle tap at the door. Odd, surely they couldn't have finished the analysis already. When he opened the door it was too find another long serving security officer, Jerry had started with the TSA two or three years after Chris. They'd worked together for a long time and one look at Jerry's face told Chris that his day certainly wasn't getting any better. Jerry was one of the officers who had taken their informant, Walter away to interview him and from the look on his face it hadn't gone well. Stepping out of the room Chris closed the door behind him and leaned against it scrubbing one hand through his thinning hair, bracing himself before asking "Well?"

"It's not good, did Walter tell you what initially aroused his suspicions about those two?" Jerry asked, getting straight to the point.

"No, he just said that he'd heard some alarming talk and that he'd seen them going through some strange powders in glass jars. I've sent the jars off for analysis although the girls are claiming that they are wiccans and they're simply herbs." Chris explained.

"Yeah, well apparently he was in Boston on the morning of 9/11, he's been on the watch for anything out of the ordinary ever since then. As soon as he saw the red-head kiss the blonde he knew there was something not right about them." Jerry stopped, waiting for Chris to put the pieces together which he did very quickly.

"Well shit! I imagine after that point they could have been discussing Sesame Street and the homophobic bastard would have heard bomb plots and terrorist activity!" Chris closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as he considered the mess they found themselves in. This had the potential to turn into a complete shit storm, it looked like these young women had been targeted due to their religious beliefs and sexual orientation. If they chose to make a case of it this could go really badly for the security services in general and Chris and Tom in particular.

"I don't suppose there's any chance of getting them onto their connecting flight before it leaves is there?" Jerry asked hopefully.

Chris just laughed, "not likely," he looked at his watch, "it took off over half an hour ago and the next flight to Cascade isn't for another four hours!"

"Great, any chance those jars really do contain drugs or anything actionable?" Jerry was grasping at straws now, he and his partner hadn't been involved in the decision to pick up the two girls but if this blew up in their faces they were still close enough to get caught in the blast.

"OK look, you get down to the lab, see if they've got any results yet, I'll send Tom over to the airline desk to see about getting them onto the next flight. Assuming those herbs really are just herbs, we get them into the VIP departure lounge, comp them a meal and a bottle of champagne, they've been reasonable so far, perhaps we can get them on their way before they decide to kick up a stink." Chris just hoped they could get out of this without any more fuss. In the years immediately after 9/11 security had been the watchword, you could get away with anything on the flimsiest of pretexts. But it had been so long since there had been a verifiable threat that things were tipping back in the other direction, accountability was beginning to take precedence and the activists who had always hated the heightened security measures were simply looking for the perfect case to bring the whole house of cards tumbling down. This could just be it!

"OK, but what do you want me to do about Walter?" Jerry's voice dripped with scorn as he sounded the man's name.

"Where is he now?" Chris asked.

"In Interview Room 4."

Chris thought for a moment, IR4 was a room they used as little as possible, some freak effect of the architecture of the building meant that the air-conditioning never really reached that room causing the temperature in there to rise to uncomfortable levels on even the coolest of days, and today was not one of the cool ones. "Leave him there for now, we'll get to him once we've got these two sorted out."

Jerry just nodded with a malicious grin and headed off at a brisk walk to the lab to chase up the tests Chris had ordered.

Meanwhile Chris opened the door and as Tom looked up he gestured for the younger man to join him in the corridor. With a mumbled "excuse me ladies" Tom stood up and did just that, closing the door firmly behind him. "What's up Chris?"

As briefly as possible Chris explained what was going on and sent him off to the airline desks to try to arrange an onward flight for the two girls in their interview room.

Bracing himself Chris turned towards the door, letting himself back into the room he re-took his seat. "Thank you for your patience ladies, that was my colleague who had been talking to the gentleman who raised the initial concerns which led to this search. That conversation has uncovered some holes in his story and this search has revealed nothing actionable. Therefore, as long as the lab tests confirm that the herbs in those jars are just what you say they are you will be able to depart on the next available flight to Cascade."

As he finished speaking there was another tap at the door and Jerry immediately opened it and walked in. In his hands he held the sample case full of herbs which he placed on the table, "all clear, thank you for your co-operation."

Chris plastered a big grin on his face, "Excellent, in that case if you'll finish re-packing your cases we will escort you to the VIP lounge where you can await your flight which will be in..." he broke off to check his watch, "four hours time."

For a moment Willow and Tara simply sat in stunned relief that this was all over, but then Willow's brain resumed function, reminding her why they were making this trip in the first place and she surged to her feet, "four hours! That's not good enough, we have to get to Cascade..." she broke off as Tara placed a gentle hand on her arm, pulling her around slightly to face the blonde.

"It's fine Willow, the hotel will hold our reservations until we arrive." The deliberate intonation in Tara's voice stopped Willow in her tracks. Visions of explaining to suddenly suspicious again Security Officers exactly why it was so important that they get to Cascade quickly swam into her head.

"Right," she turned back to the Security men, all sweetness and light once again, "you mentioned the VIP lounge, I assume that anything we want in there will be comped?"

Chris just smiled, a more natural smile this time, he didn't know what was going on here but they'd done their duty, everything about these girls checked out. At this point he just wanted them out of his airport. "A meal and drinks certainly" he offered leading them from the room, "maybe we can throw in a bottle of Champagne for your trouble."

"Ooh!" the red-head exclaimed, clapping her hands together delightedly, like a child at Christmas. "You hear that Tara?" she asked with a broad grin.

"No Champagne!" Tara responded firmly "thank you officer but Detective Ellison will want to see us as soon as we get to Cascade, sober and ready to work." she explained to the two security men, steadfastly ignoring the crest fallen look on her girlfriend's face.

Once in the VIP lounge it was the work of a moment to explain to the hostess on duty what had been going on. She was only too happy to take care of the two young women until they could board their next flight. That left Chris free to go find Jerry and have a quiet word with Mr Johnson and explain to him just how upset the security services can be by frivolous accusations made by bigoted jerks.

Settled in a quiet corner Willow and Tara tucked into the meals that the hostess had just bought over to them. Tara finally had Willow cornered "So, you were going to explain to me what had you so freaked out at the end of the conversation with Xander?" she asked straight out.

Willow's face fell and she hurriedly finished chewing and swallowing the mouthful she had just taken before putting her knife and fork neatly down beside her plate. Closing her eyes she steepled her hands in front of her face, elbows resting on the edge of the table. "I was hoping you'd forget about that." she muttered wearily.

"Willow, what did you do?" Tara asked gently, she knew her girlfriend well, they truly were soul-mates, and she knew from Willow's tone that there was no further need to push. Willow would tell her all, she just needed to do it at her own pace.

"We hadn't heard from Xander for so long, I was really worried," Willow stated softly, Tara listened, prepared to let Willow take her time if that was what was required. "I just wanted to know what was going on, to be sure that he was safe."

"What did you do?" Tara asked again, her tone still gentle, the question just enough to keep Willow on track.

"Xander said that their spirit animals didn't arrive until after they'd fought off the ambush, after Blair had been injured. He said that they seemed angry when they finally did arrive." Willow's eyes remained closed as she talked, as if she was unwilling to face what she would see in Tara's face in response to her words.

Tara pushed aside her own half eaten plate now, the food she had eaten appeared to have turned into a leaden ball in the pit of her stomach as she began to realise were this was going.

"I had summoned the spirit animals, I'd only expected two to appear, Xander's hyena and Spike's tiger but all four turned up. I tried to talk to them, to find out what was going on in Cascade but, they were anxious, they kept trying to leave," she paused, bowing her head, eyes still closed, words so quiet Tara had to strain to hear them.

The leaden ball grew heavier as Tara realised what was coming next, "no" she murmured unthinkingly and Willow winced at the word.

"They were anxious to leave, but I held them there. I concentrated all my power on keeping them there until eventually I couldn't maintain it any longer and they disappeared." Slowly her eyes opened but she kept her gaze firmly down on the cooling plate of food in front of her. Realising what she was looking at she pushed it aside with a look of disgust and with one fore-finger began tracing the grain of the wooden table top whilst waiting for Tara's reaction to her admission.

Tara sat horror stricken, watching Willow tracing patterns on the tabletop. She thought that she probably ought to be trying to comfort her obviously distressed friend but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Once again Willow had used her magic without thought of the consequences, without consideration of anyone... anything else, only her own need for the instant gratification of her desire for information. And, as usual, someone else was paying the price for that gratification, Blair was dead, even if the turning was successful, even if they were able to restore his soul he was still dead, his life, and that of his partner, Detective Ellison, would never be the same again.

As Willow's words sank in Tara felt the bile rising in the back of her throat. Looking around hastily she spotted the sign for the ladies room and was instantly up and running. Crashing through the door she wheeled around the corner and spotting an open cubicle dived in pulling her hair back from her face as she fell to her knees just in time. Her stomach muscles clamped down tight, forcing the contents back up her oesophagus and she vomited all she had just eaten straight into the toilet bowl mercifully before her. Again and again her stomach heaved and all she could do was cling on and hope the storm would soon be over. Eventually the last of the bitter bile was expelled from her body. Slowly the dry heaves tailed off and she was left slumped against the cold, white porcelain, one hand clamped in her hair the other holding tightly to the rim of the bowl, the only thing keeping her from slipping to the floor.

It was only when a hand holding a large ball of toilet tissue nudged her shoulder that she realised she wasn't alone. Numbly she pulled herself up to kneel on the hard, stone tile of the floor and releasing her grip on the porcelain bowl she mutely took the offering and used it to wipe her lips. More was offered and she was able to dry her streaming eyes and blow her nose, flinching at the harsh sting as she did so.

Shakily she climbed to her feet and turned expecting to see Willow behind her. But it wasn't Willow, it was the petite hostess who had brought them their food just a short while earlier. "Are you alright?" the woman asked, Tania, Tara noted blearily from the discreet name-badge pinned to her blouse.

"I'm fine," Tara muttered embarrassed, "sorry," she waved her hand vaguely encompassing the cubicle behind her.

"Don't worry about that, at least you made it to the bathroom, you'd be shocked at how many people don't." Tania chattered gently wanting to distract the pretty blonde from her embarrassment. "Was it a problem with the food?" she enquired politely.

"Huh," Tara was having some trouble keeping track of what was going on around her, still somewhat disoriented by the sudden bout of sickness. "No, sorry, the food was fine, it's just..." she stopped, wondering how to explain it, finally she settled for, "I just got some bad news. I think..." she paused again, "could I get a glass of water?"

"Of course" Tania replied easily, watching as Tara stepped over to the sinks and washed her hands before rubbing wet hands briskly over her face. Drying herself off on a handful of paper towels Tara looked into the mirror on the wall. Pale, hollow cheeked and sunken eyed, her reflection stared back at her and sorrowfully she turned away and followed Tania back out into the VIP lounge.

Stepping through the door she realised that the hostess was heading back for the table where Willow still sat, her head hanging, dejection in every line of her body. As Tara stopped and looked across the room the red-head seemed to feel her gaze and slowly she looked up to meet Tara's eyes. The corners of Willow's lips lifted in a tentative smile but it was only fleeting, as Tara turned aside and made her way over to perch on a stool at the bar Willow's face fell and she slumped even further down in her seat.

The next few hours passed in a daze for Tara. She sat on her bar-stool sipping at the bottle of water that Tania had supplied as Willow's words echoed again and again through her head. She railed internally at the stupidity of it all. How could Willow have done something so ill-considered, messing with forces she didn't understand, holding the spirit animals with her in spite of their obvious agitation. Although Tara hadn't seen any of it she could picture the scene in her mind's eye and it was enough to set her stomach roiling again so that she almost expected to have to make another bolt for the bathroom. However she managed to control her physical response and eventually it was time to move to the boarding gate. Tania handed Tara her boarding pass as she brought over her carry-on luggage, "your friend handled checking in, you have some good seats together near the front of the cabin."

"Thank you but..." Tara swallowed heavily, "I'd rather sit towards the back if that's possible."

Tania looked doubtful, "I don't know if there would still be two seats together available on the flight at this late stage, you could ask the stewardesses when you board," she offered.

"That's OK, thank you, but I only need one seat." Tara replied coldly as she took the pass and the handle of the case and headed out of the VIP lounge towards to the boarding gate without a single glance at Willow who trailed along quietly in her wake.

The stewardess that Tara spoke to on boarding the aircraft was very understanding and was happy to move her to a lone empty seat to the rear of the cabin. She spent to flight staring unseeing through the window, horrific images of the ambush and attack on Xander and the others rolling in front of her eyes, images supplied by her imagination as Xander and Willow's words chased each other through her head.

Finally she was pulled from her thoughts by the announcement from the cockpit that they had started their descent into Cascade. That was when she realised that they had never called Xander to let him know about the delay in San Francisco, she hoped he hadn't been waiting at the airport for the last 4 hours. Pulling out her mobile phone she pressed the button to activate the darkened screen but nothing happened, anxiously she pressed the button again but still there was no response. The battery on her phone was dead, realising that she would have to swallow her anger at Willow's actions and ask the other girl to call Xander she was about to stand when she saw that the seat-belt light was now lit and the stewardesses were shepherding any stray passengers back to their seats.

There was nothing else to do but wait until they had landed. This time Tara was barely able to restrain herself until the seat-belt light flicked off before she headed down the aisle to Willow's seat, squeezing past the other passengers filling the narrow passage-way as she did so.

As soon as she reached Willow she got straight to the point, "where's your phone, we need to call Xander and let him know we've arrived."

However Willow didn't even reach for her phone, "it's dead, I checked it whilst you were asleep on the first flight, you'll have to call him."

Frustration boiling over Tara stamped her foot, hard. "Damn it! Mines dead too."

Forcing her way back into the aisle Tara joined the slow flow of people disembarking, leaving Willow to make her own way off of the aircraft behind her.

By-passing the baggage carousel Tara made her way directly to the arrivals lounge. As she threaded her way through the busy terminal building she was aware of Willow dogging her footsteps but she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge the other girl's presence. Stepping through the double doors Tara paused and scanned the crowd but saw neither Xander's familiar head of brown hair nor Spike's over-gelled, bleached head. Wondering if Xander had sent someone else to collect them her eyes roamed over the handful of name cards in sight but none of them contained either Willow's or her own name. Finally she had to admit defeat and turning to Willow who stood at her shoulder she asked, "do you see them?"

But Willow only shook her head, "no, he's not here."

"Come on" Tara instructed and she began to make her way to the tourist information booth. They had to wait in line for several minutes but eventually it was their turn to speak to the harried woman on duty in the booth. "Hi, we were delayed in San Francisco and it looks like our friends couldn't wait, can you tell us how to get here?" and Tara handed over a note with the address of Ellison's loft apartment.

The matronly woman barely glanced at the note before pointing out the main doors of the terminal, "taxi's are that way, they'll be able to take you right there."

"Thank you but, we don't have enough cash for a taxi, are there any buses we could catch?" Tara pressed the woman.

With a disgruntled huff the woman behind the counter pulled the note closer and actually read it this time, she then reached up and pulled a couple of leaflets from a display on the wall behind her. Opening a map of the airport terminal buildings she marked off the necessary bus stop that the girls would need. Then she handed over a time-table with the next bus circled.

Thanking her profusely Tara took the offered documents and headed for the bus-stop, if they hurried they could catch the next bus.

Ten minutes later they were safely settled on the bus heading into Cascade. As they rode Tara couldn't help but wonder what they would find when they reached their destination. She glanced at her watch, 11:22pm almost 15 hours since Blair had been turned and they were still at least half an hour away from the apartment. Tara was beginning to become severely concerned about what they would find when they arrived in Prospect Avenue. Between all the scoobies, over the years they had been present at the rising of many hundreds of fledgling vampires. Yet even with all that experience they still could not say for certain how long it would take from the original turning to the first rising. They understood that with Spike it had taken almost two full nights before he rose, but with most vampires they seemed to rise any time after dark on the first evening after they had been turned.

If Blair followed that pattern then he could have already risen, she just hoped that the new vampire guide proved as stubborn as his sire and could hold out against the demon within him until they could get there.

Finally, a few minutes before midnight they reached 852 Prospect, the street door was open and they pushed through and immediately saw the 'out of order' sign on the elevator doors. With a weary sigh Tara led the way to the sign-posted doorway to the stairs and started upwards. As she climbed she started speaking to Willow who followed close on her footsteps, the first words she had spoken to the red-head since the airport. "We get this done then you tell them what you did!"

"But sweetie..." Willow started only to be rudely cut off as Tara stopped sharply and spun around to face her.

"No! We do this and then you tell them, no buts, no excuses, you tell them everything or we're through!" Tara hissed the words and then without waiting for a reply she resumed the climb. It may have only been three flights but after the day that they'd had it seemed to take forever but eventually they stood before the door to the loft apartment.

With a trembling hand Tara reached out and rapped sharply on the door.

A/N: Well, there it is, as always I'd love to receive a review to let me know what you think about it, nearly at the end of this epic journey now, my thanks go to everyone who's stayed around for the entire ride.


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